My Secret To Keep
by B.Bridgewater
Summary: Some things are better off as secrets, but sadly there are curious people who just can't wait to uncover them. The risky thing about curiosity is that once you get involved in certain things, it's hard to get out; but, sometimes it's just because you really don't want to... (A/U in a high-school setting)
1. Chapter 1

As autumn rolled in, a crisp breeze carried a few stray leaves through an open window, tossing them onto a small blonde-headed figure that laid sprawled in a child-sized bed, sheets tossed about. She slept in a particularly large but empty room, a single wooden vanity sitting next to an open closet served as the only piece of furniture, save for the bed.

The little blonde continued to sleep, or at least tried to, even as the alarm clock fought to disturb her peace. Not prepared to lose the battle for sleep, the girl tossed her pillow at the offender, effectively defeating her enemy. She sighed in content over the silence.

Just as she began retreating towards her dream land, a wooden door flung open. A young man of large build stood in the doorway, panting slightly, with beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "Oi Christa, we need to start getting ready for school. You're not up yet?" he rasped as he struggled to button up his shirt.

"Just five more minutes..." Christa mumbled, shutting her eyes tighter.

"Christa!"

"Oh come on Reiner, please!" she pleaded. "Just go without me today and I'll catch up to you later."

Just as he finished straightening his brown jacket, Reiner crossed his arms in front of his chest, shaking his head in disapproval. "It's the first day, you can't just miss orientation. Especially as a transfer student, Shadis will have your head. You don't want to get on his bad side on your first day."

Christa groaned, lifting her light frame from the bed. Reiner blushed slightly as she wiped her tired blue eyes with the sleeve of her oversized white pajamas, releasing a small yawn. The light that shone through the window had completely immersed the girl in its radiance. The larger blond swallowed before whispering, "Angel..."

Stretching her slender figure, she asked, "You say something?"

"Nothing." he hid his face behind his hand. "Anyway, you should hurry up and shower. I'll wait." He made a quick escape out the door, his hasty footsteps thudding down the stairs.

After nearly an hour of wait, Christa walked downstairs, fully uniformed with her bag on her back. The boys and girls wore the exact same uniform, a brown jacket over a white dress shirt and black slacks. She approached Reiner, who stood near the door, practically jogging in place. As soon as he saw her, he pushed the door through and nearly raced out. "You took too long, we're gonna be late!"

"No we won't."

"At this rate we will!"

"Your dad said he'd take us today remember."

Reiner stopped immediately and held his face in embarrassment, earning a giggle from the little blonde. "I forgot. Where is he?"

"He was just about ready when I saw him. He shouldn't take too long."

As if on cue, a man even larger than Reiner came out and joined them on the porch. He wore a brown police uniform with a rose crest gracing the shoulder. "Alright, let's get going." he grunted, running some fingers through his jet-black hair as he headed towards a similarly black jeep in the driveway, never making eye contact with the two blondes. He slid behind the wheel and buckled his seatbelt, watching as Reiner took the passenger's seat and Christa took the seat behind his own.

The drive to school was quiet. Reiner took to staring out the window while Christa's eyes remained focused on her lap. As the school came into view, the car began to slowly decelerate. The man behind the wheel cleared his throat and looked at Christa from his rear-view mirror. "This is as far as I can take you guys and still be on time for work. This is the only time I'll be doing this, got it?"

"Thank you Mr. Braun." Christa mumbled hurriedly before forcing her way out the car door, never looking up at him. She sped off towards the school while Reiner fumbled with the seatbelt. Mr. Braun only shook his head.

By the time the giant oaf got his seatbelt off and managed to get out the car door, Christa was out of site and his father was quick to disappear in the opposite direction. Left on his own, Reiner watched the waves of students make their way towards the school, some in groups chatting idly while others trudged along wearily on their own. He sighed. "How does she move so fast?" he grumbled to himself, scratching the back of his head.

~oOo~

Christa stood in the midst of a swarm of students, all buzzing about to their various destinations. She stood still, clasping her hands together in front of her, twiddling her fingers nervously. "Maybe I should have waited on Reiner..." she admitted quietly.

Somehow, as soon as she arrived in the courtyard, Christa found herself being swept away by a crowd of students. They pulled her into the auditorium where orientation was being held and suddenly scattered, leaving the tiny girl exposed and vulnerable.

Eventually, she gathered the courage to move, although she found herself floundering about aimlessly. There was still a few minutes before orientation began and children were making their way toward old friends and established groups. It was painfully obvious how out of place she was. However, she wasn't the only one. Christa noticed a girl standing against a wall, a worried expression on her face and a hand hovering just above her stomach. The girl watched everyone who passed with somewhat pleading eyes and seemed disappointed when they passed her. Somehow, Christa felt like she understood the situation and giggled slightly to herself, making her way towards the girl.

"Hi there!"

The girl slowly looked over at Christa. Her eyes widened as she noticed the small bag of chips in the smaller girl's hands. Pointing a finger at the bag, she looked in disbelief. "For me?"

Christa nodded, a smile playing across her face.

"Thank you!" The girl yelled as she snatched the chips from Christa and ravaged the contents. "I waf sho hungwy!" she squealed, still filling her mouth with the snack. In just a matter of seconds, she had completely emptied the bag and swallowed the contents. Patting her belly in satisfaction, she gave a wide smile."I'm Sasha by the way."

"I'm Christa! Nice to meet you!" She extended her hand toward the brunette for a handshake.

Sasha clasped the petite hand between both of her own, quickly bowing her head. "So Christa is the name of my god! Thank you for the blessing!" she proclaimed, causing all the students around them to stop and stare.

"Stop Sasha, they're staring." Christa shifted uncomfortably, trying to gently tug her hands away from the brunette. She was blushing profusely as a small crowd started to gather around them, whispering among themselves. "Come on Sasha, cut it out."

"Kami-sama!" she exclaimed out of the blue.

Just then a short boy with a near bald cut forced his way through the crowd and made his way towards them. He punched Sasha on the top of her head, causing the girl to let go of Christa and hold the injured spot. "What the hell are you doing? Causing a scene already!" He had a can of soda in each hand, one of which he passed to Sasha just before forcing the girl to bow low by pressing a palm into her back. "Go ahead, apologize." he grumbled.

"I am incredibly sorry."

"Good girl.", he grinned. He looked up at the stunned blonde with a slightly confused look before tapping his head and grinning again. "Sorry I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Connie! What's your name pipsqueak?"

"I'm not pipsqueak, I'm Christa.", she defended, offering her hand again.

Connie slapped her hand as he grabbed it and pulled her into an energetic handshake. "Alright Christa! I love your spunk!"

When he let her go she quickly reeled her abused hand back. Nursing it in the palm of her other hand, she rubbed her fist near her chest. "So Connie, how long have you and Sasha been friends?"

"Huh, this joker? We only met this mornin'!" He laughed heartily. "She tried to fight me for my baked potato this morning. We hit it off right away!" Connie threw an arm over Sasha's shoulders, eliciting a grin from the girl.

"It was a really good lookin' potato!" she defended herself jokingly.

"But, you two act like you've been friends forever!" Christa gasped and then sighed. "I hope I can make that kind of connection with someone soon."

"Wait, you're new here too?" Sasha asked after already downing the entire can of soda Connie gave her.

"Yeah."

"Then that makes three of us! Sweet!"

Just as Connie raised his hand for a high-five, there was a screech from the stage at the very front of the auditorium. A bald man with an intense gaze stood imposingly on the stage with a mic to his chin. His chest was puffed up like a male bird asserting dominance. Inhaling through his nostrils, he forced his lungs to fill to their capacity.

"Listen up!" He yelled into the microphone causing the students to grab their ears and groan in pain. He smirked. "Good! Now that I have your attention, orientation will now commence! Coming to give the opening remark is Principal Erwin Smith, welcome him!"

The students applauded as a tall blond man made his way to the microphone. He seemed stern as he scanned over the crowds of students below. Christa, Sasha, and Connie shuffled into the crowd and moved closer to the stage.

"Welcome back to St. Rose Academy! May I begin by saying congratulations on surviving the summer-"

~oOo~

After the long ceremony, the students filed out and wandered about the campus, deciding to linger rather than go to the classrooms. They had some time before attendance since the ceremony ended earlier than expected on account of Senior Master Shadis catching Sasha stuffing her face and decided to take her to the office rather than give his closing remarks. Connie excused himself after the ceremony and went to check on Sasha, feeling guilty, being the one who passed her the munchies in the first place. And so once again, Christa found herself alone. Unlike most of the other students, Christa opted to go straight to class. She figured it would be better to try to make friends with whoever she met in class. At least then she could have someone to talk to in her homeroom.

On the way, she fantasized of chatting idly in class, passing notes to each other, sharing secret smiles and inside jokes, calling each other at night for whatever reasons, and organizing study groups together. Yes, this was her ideal friendship and she smiled warmly to herself just thinking about it.

When she finally found the room, she peaked in. There was one lone student who sat in the last row, near the window. A brunette whose gaze remained fixed on something outside the glass. They were on the third floor, the highest in the school, so the brunette was able to stare down at the students undetected.

Christa walked up to the person, a slight unease settling in her stomach as she approached them. She stopped just a few steps next to them and tried to pry her mouth open to greet the person. Just as she was about to succeed, the person turned their head and looked Christa dead in the eye with a burning glare. The girl's golden brown eyes dove deep into the pools of blue that were Christa's, somehow sending a shiver down her spine. The blonde's mouth slammed shut once more and she practically jumped into the seat in front of her, laying her head on the desk and turning it in the opposite direction. Her face was a bright red and her cheeks felt like they were on fire. Her stomach felt like it was in knots and she had absolutely no idea why! Could this be the dreaded love at first sight? No, not possible. She was getting way too ahead of herself. Slowly, she calmed herself, taking small easy breaths, and twisted her head to look at the source of her confusion who was now looking back at her with an amused look lining her features, a small, but devious smirk across her face. Christa felt her heart begin to pound in her chest, trying to beat its way out of her ribcage. With her head still on the desk, brunette in her sight, Christa's eyebrows furrowed in embarrassment as the other girl began to laugh uncontrollably, soliciting a blush from the blonde.

"What are you, auditioning for class clown or something!?" the girl teased rather loudly.

Christa built up for some argument but for some reason she couldn't think of a comeback. Who teases someone they only just met anyway? It was totally uncalled for and Christa had half a mind to tel the girl off about it. The only problem was that absolutely nothing was coming out and she knew she looked like an idiot! She could tell just by the face that brunette was making. Christa examined the girl's expression before accidentally allowing her voice to slip through her lips, "...freckles?" She nearly slammed her forehead into the desk when the word sneaked out of her mouth.

The girl laughed again, this time beating on the desk for emphasis. "No way! Are you always this dumb or are you playing stupid just to entertain me Ms. Class Clown! This year might be fun after all!"

"…" The blonde mumbled something under her breath.

"Hmm? What's that blondie?" the girl pressed an ear closer.

"..."

"Try again short stuff, still can't hear ya."

Suddenly the normally pacifist girl launched up from her seat. "My name is Christa! Not Ms. Class Clown, not blondie, and not short stuff! Chris-ta! And no, I'm not here to entertain you, you ... you... miserable jerk!"

Christa picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder, storming out of the classroom. She didn't have to put up with it, so why should she? In her anger, she didn't hear when the brunette whistled behind her, "Yup, definitely gonna be interesting."

_"The nerve of that girl! Nothing but a bully! Even if there was some kind of immediate physical attraction, her ugly personality killed it, that jerk!" _

As Christa huffed down the hall, fuming and embarrassed, she turned whatever corner came up, went down any hall that seemed empty enough, and went through any open door as long as it didn't obstruct her path. Suddenly, Christa's whole face turned red as if by some sudden revelation, her eyebrows furrowing in frustration.

"_Wait, attracted? I've never been attracted to a girl before, maybe I'm wrong... Then again, I've never been attracted to anyone before. Maybe I just got my feelings confused and it was just... Excitement! Yeah, excitement! Excited at the prospect of making a new friend. Nothing more, nothing less."_

She continued going, and going, and going, all until she finally calmed down enough to realize she was lost. Starting to regret ever getting out of bed that morning, Christa decided to explore the campus, hoping she would be able to find her way back somehow. Who knows, it might even clear her head.

Students began shuffling toward their classes and soon the courtyard was only spotted with a few stragglers. One lone student still wandered about aimlessly. Tears began welling up in her eyes and Christa began to lose hope as she continued down an unfamiliar hallway. With every step, her legs got weaker and with every change of scene, her hope diminished until finally her knees gave out and she collapsed under a large tree, somehow finding her way back out to the courtyard. The blonde tried her hardest not to let the tears slip out. Just as they were about to burst from their floodgates, the salty pearls suddenly retreated with the exception of a few stray drops that rolled down her cheeks.

A group of three students; one short blond boy with blue eyes that shone of intelligence, one black haired girl with cold eyes and a red scarf covering half her face, and a brunette boy standing at the head of the group, were walking past, engaged in a lively conversation. Suddenly she saw the blond boy point at her, everyone stopping in their tracks to look. She felt vulnerable as the three headed toward her. They stopped just ahead of her and Christa nearly jumped out of her skin when the girl knelt just in front of her. The small girl trembled slightly, too scared to break the eye-contact that chilled her down to her bone.

"Why are you just sitting there? Classes already started attendance you know." The brunette boy spoke up, examining Christa's face.

"Umm... I- um. Well..." Christa struggled to form a sentence with the girl still so close to her, staring her down in silence.

Suddenly the blond boy gave a small chuckle that he quickly muffled. "You're lost aren't you?" Christa nodded. "Well we'll help you out, which room?"

Christa hesitated for a while before she decided to divulge the information. "Room... 104... I think."

"104? That's where we're headed." The brunette mentioned with widened teal eyes. "So you're a new kid, no wonder." His face hardened again.

"Eren behave yourself, you're frightening her.", the black haired girl finally broke the eye-lock she had on Christa in favor of staring up at the brunette. Her voice was soft but stern.

"I think you already did a good job of that Mikasa." The blond gave an exasperated chuckle. Directing his attention back at Christa, he smiled brightly. "I'm Armin by the way. This intense guy here is Eren and that quiet-speaking girl is Mikasa. Don't worry, they're kinda scary looking, but they're really nice. So you don't have to be scared. Besides we'll be in the same homeroom this year, so we might as well be friends!", ending with a cheerful laugh.

"Umm, I guess. Thank you. My name is Christa by the way." she introduced herself as she lifted her small body out of the grass and dusted her uniform off, sliding her bookbag back onto her shoulders.

"Alright let's get to homeroom 'fore Ms. Langner marks us absent. I don't want to get sent to Levi's office this early in the term." Eren turned on his heels, throwing his arms behind his head and leading off nonchalantly.

Within minutes they were in front of the classroom, the walk there being a near awkward silence. While Eren, Armin, and Mikasa opened the back door and filed into class, Christa stood behind the door and took a deep breath. Her mind flashed back to her earlier encounter with the freckled girl in class and she simply did not want to face her. She took solace in the fact that she had made three friends like Armin and the others, at least she had a better impression of her class and new formed hope for the year. She smiled to herself. Slowly she pushed the door open and was met with a gust of noise. Students were sitting on desks and leaning in chairs, carrying on loud conversations. Krista leapt slightly in excitement when she noticed some familiar faces. Reiner sat near the front of the class chatting with two other students. Sasha and Connie were performing some silly antics in the middle of the class. And unfortunately, that jerk from earlier was still there, staring out the window again, with the same bored expression. Christa gave a small huff.

Just then, the intense man from the orientation walked in through the door near the front of the class, looking as irritable as usual. He marched over to the teacher's desk and faced the students. Nobody even noticed as he walked in and they continued their conversations, oblivious. Slamming his palms into the hard oakwood of the desk he snarled, "Quiet maggots!" The room fell into a deep silence. "Get to your seats."

In an instant the students were all neatly seated behind their desks, well, all except Christa, who stood there stunned for a few seconds realizing she hadn't established a seat yet. She looked around the class in a panic.

"You in the back! Sit down!" the man growled.

Suddenly all eyes were on Christa. "Ye- Yes sir!" she saluted nervously, earning a roaring laugh from the class. Face slightly reddened, she scanned the class for an empty seat but to no avail. The bald man noticed this.

"I see an empty seat next to Ymir. Take it." The blonde girl looked at him in confusion. He sighed, mumbling something about 'new kids' and 'fresh meat' under his breath. He puffed up again and ordered, "Ymir, raise your hand."

"Right here, sir."

Christa turned in near horror to see the freckled girl's hand limply raised in the air, a smirk donning her face as she slouched in her chair lazily. Slowly, Christa dragged her feet across the floor, hoping this was just a bad joke or something. It was the same seat she took when she first spoke to the brunette, still empty and waiting for her return. She slowly slid the chair out, Ymir watching her every move with interest and amusement. Finally, the blonde sunk into the chair with dread.

The man shook his head at the display but said nothing of it. "Now then, since I see some new faces here, I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Senior Master and Chief of Discipline, Keith Shadis. Now, I'm sure many of you were expecting Ms. Langner, but unfortunately she will not be joining us this year. You see she was called in over the break and her entire squadron is currently overseas. She said that she will be keeping a journal to bring home for everyone to read, so at least you spoiled snots will be able to understand the horrors of war and appreciate what the soldiers are out there suffering through for your miserable sakes. In any case, due to a lack of teachers, I will be assuming Ms. Langner's post." Keith smirked as he heard the students collective groans. "That's right, today will be the beginning of the worst year of your lives. Welcome to my personal hell."

"Great, a whole year of these long ass speeches. What a pain." Ymir drawled just barely loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

"What was that?"

"I said 'Great, a whole year of your amazing speeches! What joy!'" she answered with disgustingly sarcastic enthusiasm.

Christa rolled her eyes, noting that the girl was not simply picking on her but that Ymir was a full time jerk, no doubt. The class was submerged in hushed murmurs. Keith's head turned red as he began to seethe over in rage. Just as he opened his mouth, the bell rang, reminding Shadis that he had yet to take attendance. He grit his teeth before speaking again. "I won't be taking roll call this period, but after the lunch break you all _better_ return here. If you're absent then, then you're absent the whole day. Do I make myself clear?" He waited a few seconds for the students to settle themselves. Then he focused a hard glare at Ymir. "Ymir, I'll deal with you later. As for the rest of you, try to stay out of trouble. Dismissed!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Welcome to Home Economics. My name is Levi and I have the _unfortunate_ task of teaching you all."

A short man in an apron leaned against the teacher's desk at the front of the home economics room. He had a permanently bored expression etched on his face as he scanned over the class with absolute disinterest.

Christa's first class for the day was a double period of home economics. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found out that being in the same homeroom did not necessarily mean being in the same classes. Although she hated the fact that there was the possibility of being in a class of total strangers, she loved the prospect of not having to deal with Ymir at every turn just a little bit more.

She was glad to see Eren, Armin, and Sasha all in her class. She was partnered with Sasha, and of course, the two boys were inseparable. Christa noticed the glares being exchanged between Levi and Eren, curious at the story behind it, but deciding that she would probably find out eventually and so she left the matter alone. Instead, she focused her attention on what the man with the short, black bowl cut had to say.

"Well I'm sure that your homeroom teachers probably explained this to you and I'm simply wasting my breath here, but as you know classes are shortened just for today because of the orientation ceremony. As a result, I will not waste my time starting anything. We don't have enough time to do anything of substance. So, I will give you all the chance to talk among yourselves." He sighed after every sentence as if he would rather be anywhere else, but after he finished his last statement, he became deadly serious. "This is a luxury you will enjoy today and today only. After this, there will be absolutely no conversing in my class, got it?" He growled slightly as he warned his students. "Also, I will not allow any disrespect in my class, so let's not have a repeat of last year Mr. Jaeger."

Levi barely finished his statement before Eren slammed his fists onto the counter of his cooking station. Armin was struggling to pull Eren back to his seat, trying his best to calm him down. Hesitantly, the boy sank back in his chair, biting his lip in anger but holding his tongue. Levi only smirked and sat back in his own chair, turning away from his students.

Christa glanced over at her partner, who was slumping in her chair, her face flat on the counter. "What's wrong?"

The brunette mumbled something incoherently.

"What was that?"

Gravely, Sasha turned her head to face Christa, a dismal expression donning her face. "What's the point of being here if we're not eating."

"Don't you mean cooking?"

Sasha only groaned in response earning a giggle from her blonde friend.

The two ended up chatting idly for the rest of the class time, mainly because Christa thought it was the best way to keep Sasha's mind off of food. The plan failed miserably though. Somehow, no matter what Christa said, Sasha always somehow brought it back to food.

As the bell rang to dismiss them, Levi called out to the students to stop them from leaving. "Before you go, I should probably mention this for the fresh meat, but I am also a guidance counselor here. However that doesn't mean that every time your snot-nosed boyfriends break up with you or you feel like picking a fight, that you must come to me with your problems. Quite frankly I don't want hear them and I'll be quick to chase you off. Now leave." He shooed them out of the class, though too lazy to get up from his chair.

The students filed out into the hall, wasting no time in escaping what truly deserved the title of 'Hell's Kitchen'.

"Man Levi is really pissing me off!" Eren growled as he pounded his fists into the wall, releasing all the anger he built up in class, effectively leaving a dent in the school wall.

"You should avoid getting in trouble with him this year. You just barely avoided probation last year." Armin reasoned.

"I know but still."

"Are you on bad terms with Levi?" Christa interrupted as she approached the two, dragging Sasha along. She didn't plan to interject, but since it was so obvious, she figured it wouldn't be a problem.

"Yeah, he just loves to bug me." Eren rolled a pair of teal eyes, stomping off aggressively. Armin ran after him after offering a quick apology to the girls.

Christa sighed and checked her schedule quickly. She had biology and Sasha had Physical Education, so they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

After thirty minutes of class, the bell rang to end the period. Christa thanked the heavens as she threw her things into her bag. Their teacher this time was a Miss Hanji Zoe, though she preferred to just be called Hanji. The second that the students walked into her class, Hanji began preaching her theories on humanity and how "an exponential growth in a select few of the human race would send the world into a flurry of chaotic and hellish wars". She was passionate, Christa noted, but also very mad. Happily mad, of course. The only person from her homeroom in this class that she saw was a blonde girl with cold blue eyes, with a similar dead stare to Mikasa's. Christa also recognized that she was one of the people Reiner had been talking to earlier, but even then, she looked very unapproachable, so Christa kept her distance and kept to herself.

Next was lunch, which Christa ended up spending with Sasha and Connie since she looked all over for Reiner but couldn't find him. The two cracked jokes and Connie chastised Sasha for her over-eating, earning giggles from their single blonde audience. Before they knew it, lunch was finished and it was time for homeroom.

Just as they turned the corner, they saw Reiner and a tall black haired boy a few feet away, just about to enter the class.

"Christa!" Reiner yelled almost too excitedly, calming himself down by clearing his throat. "I was wondering where you were. I tried to catch up to you after homeroom but you move so damn fast!" He laughed throatily. "By the way, this is my best bud, Bert, here." he introduced the boy standing beside him.

Said boy reached a hand out to Christa, offering a handshake and a gentle smile. "My name is Bertholdt, nice to meet you."

"Um, hi Bertholdt..." Christa openly marveled at the boy's height. He could easily make two of her, and maybe even have some left over. Maybe it's an exaggeration, but he was really tall!

"Umm-"

"Oh sorry!" Christa let his hand go and turned away, blushing in embarrassment. She wasn't meaning to stare.

"Hey!" Shadis interrupted the teens. "Quit wasting time and get in class already before I mark the lot of you absent."

Without a word, everyone shuffled into class. Christa took her seat only to notice that Ymir was nowhere in sight. Again, she thanked the heavens for her reprieve from the brunette bully. Still though, there was still the nagging worry in the back of her head. She tried her hardest to bury any concern she had about the girl, or her being absent, or where she could possibly be...

The blonde sighed as Keith began roll call. One by one he went down the list of names. Suddenly Christa heard a tap. She looked around but couldn't find the source of the sound.

"Christa Renz?" Shadis got no answer, said blonde being too distracted to realize her name had been called. "I said, Christa Renz!" his volume increasing almost three-times over causing Christa to jump in her seat. She was so glad that Ymir wasn't around to tease her about it.

"Present, sir!"

He responded with a grunt and continued down the list. Christa heard the tap again, but this time she noticed something dangling out the window when she turned.

Ymir?

Ymir hung upside down outside the window, her face flushed from the blood rushing to her brain. She kept mouthing something to Christa and it took a while for Christa to decipher it.

"O-pen... the... the window? Oh!" Christa quickly looked over at Shadis, who was too focused on his list to notice the blonde get up from her seat and unlatch the lock for the window. She gave a nod to her accomplice who pulled herself back up, allowing Christa to slide the window across to open it. She hurried back to her seat, more curious of how the freckled girl would accomplish the feat than of why she helped the brunette out in the first place.

Slowly, Ymir slid her body down until her feet rested soundly on the windowsill. It was the first time Christa realized how tall the girl was, completely outstretched as she struggled to gain some balance. Not as tall as Bertholdt, but tall nonetheless. In a quick drop, Ymir let go of whatever she was holding on to above them and made a swift move to catch the bottom of the windowsill, making a soft clank. Christa glanced over at Shadis, but he was still doing roll call, drawing ever so closer to Ymir's name. This was kind of exciting for Christa. She looked back over at Ymir, still hunched over and looking like a gargoyle on the edge of a building.

"I'm surprised you didn't fall." Christa couldn't help but giggle.

Ymir smirked at Christa's comment. "Agility, great balance, and a ton of guts, pipsqueak."

"I told you not to call me pipsqueak!" Christa growled in a hushed tone, lunging up from her seat slightly, just enough to startle Ymir and cause her to lose her balance.

The brunette's eyes widened as she felt her body sway backwards. Christa launched up from her seat swiftly but silently, breathing a sigh of relief when she caught Ymir's arm and guided her back up and into the room, Ymir chuckling like an idiot the whole time.

Just as Ymir managed to get one foot on the floor, Shadis cleared his throat and Christa felt her heart sink. She couldn't afford to get in trouble. It was just the first day! Slowly she swallowed and turned her attention to the front.

"Sasha! Are you eating in my presence again!? It was just lunch time!"

Said girl swallowed whatever was in her mouth and whimpered, "But I didn't finish."

"Go stand outside!", he ordered. Just then his eyes flashed up to where Christa and Ymir were seated as if on instinct. Both girls sat in their seats, Ymir leaning the chair on its hind legs and shooting him a toothy grin. "Why is that window open?"

"Just catching some breeze."

"Close it!"

"Sir, yes sir!" She laughed, complying with the order.

Keith looked down at his list again, slightly puzzled. He was sure that when he looked up at Christa, Ymir was not sitting there. But, she couldn't have opened the door without him noticing and definitely not cross the whole class without him even catching a strand of hair out of place. It troubled him, but he simply put it off to her being there without him noticing.

Christa and Ymir exchanged glances and smiled. _She's definitely some kind of trouble._ Christa couldn't stop herself from giggling as she thought of what just happened.

Keith shoved the list into his bag and slung the strap across his shoulder. He puffed out his chest to address the class one more time. "Now, I can't stay here all the time, every time to babysit you, I have important business to deal with in my office. I don't care what you do, just _do not_ leave this class. If I do not show up for attendance, I expect a list of all those present to be delivered to my office immediately after the homeroom period. Otherwise, I will assume you are _all_ absent, do I make myself clear!?"

After a collective "Yes, sir!" was sounded, Keith left the room. Almost immediately after, an announcement came over the PA system.

"This is Principal Smith with an announcement. As usual, since it is the first day, the afternoon homeroom period will run for the rest of the day. This will be to encourage camaraderie among students within your homerooms. You will be working together for a year, helping each other to survive high school life at St. Rosa's. That is all."

Christa thought of this as an opportunity to really get to know the person she'll probably be sitting next to for the entire year, or at least the term. She felt slightly guilty for the prejudgment she had of Ymir. She, of all people, should believe in fair chance.

So, cheering herself on mentally, she turned to face Ymir, but couldn't figure out what to say. She decided to go with a certain question that had been lingering on her tongue from the instant she saw Ymir out the window.

"Where did you even come from just now?"

"The roof, where else?" Ymir rolled her eyes in a snark remark.

Christa blinked twice, biting back a few choice words she had for the girl. "Okay, how and why?"

"Well I figured it was way too early in the term to start attending classes, so I decided to spend my time doing something worthwhile."

"Like, practicing how to jump in and out windows?"

"Ha! Still tryin' to be funny I see!" Ymir burst out laughing while patting Christa's back, knocking the air out of the blonde's lungs each time. "Nah, I was sleeping on the roof. By the time I woke up, it was time for homeroom."

"Seriously!?" Christa asked incredulously. "So you're like... you know..." She started shifting in her seat as if fighting whether or not to say what she was thinking.

Ymir raised a brow, an annoyed scowl lining her face. "I'm like what?"

Christa looked down in her lap, regretting ever starting the statement. Ymir was obviously the type to get angry easily. "You know... a..." Her voice shrunk as she spoke, still shifting in her seat. Then, barely above a whisper, as if sharing a secret, "like... a delinquent."

There it was. Ymir's boisterous and obnoxious laughter. "That's cute! 'A delinquent' she says."

When all eyes turned on them, Christa could feel her cheeks burning from embarrassment. She looked up to notice Reiner shooting a strange glare in Ymir's direction before shaking his head and looking away.

Just as Christa made a move to approach Reiner, she noticed Sasha and Connie make their way towards her.

"Christa, Christa! You wouldn't believe what Connie did! He deserves divine punishment kami-sama!"

The two seemed to have been arguing about something before approaching Christa's desk. Sasha seemed upset and Connie was simply rolling his eyes with his arms folded in front of his chest, giving short remarks to everything Sasha said.

"You're making a big deal out of nothing..." The bald boy huffed.

"Christa, he told a bunch of people about how we met and now everyone who's heard it is calling me potato-girl!" Sasha whined all in one breath.

"Pfft-" Ymir couldn't contain her laughter, not that she tried to anyway. She practically laughed in Sasha's face. "Haa! Potato-girl, that one's gonna stick! So stupid!"

"Ymir, what's wrong with you, you jerk!" Christa scolded, glaring at said girl who responded with a scoff before staring out the window. She then returned her attention to Sasha and Connie, both staring at Ymir, though for slightly different reasons. Sasha stared at the brunette with tears welling up in her eyes while Connie's eyes burned with fury.

"Oi, no one was talking to you, what gives the right to talk to my friend like that?" He growled menacingly, holding up a fist as if to threaten her.

Ymir scoffed again, her eyes still fixed out the window.

"What the hell is your deal!? Now I get why no one in the class comes over here." Connie slammed his fists into Christa's desk subconsciously causing the blonde to squeak and jump out her seat slightly. He wanted to apologize to Christa for that little display, but he was way too steamed right now. Instead he turned away, grabbing Sasha's hand. "Let's go Christa!"

"Eh!" The blonde was caught slightly off guard. She was still processing what Connie said. It was true. Everybody was moving up and down the classroom getting to know each other. The whole class seemed abuzz and lively, all except for she and Ymir's corner. Nobody made a move to come over before Sasha and Connie. Not Reiner, not Bertholdt, not Eren, Mikasa, or Armin. They all seemed to go everywhere else.

Connie grabbed Christa's wrist with his free hand and dragged both girls away from Ymir and back to his and Sasha's usual seats, disrupting the blonde girl's train of thought.

"Geez!" Connie grunted and he sat down in his chair. "Good thing we got you out of their, huh Christa. I bet she was making you sick. Now that you're over here, you can at least get to know the rest of the class."

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't notice that nobody was coming over there?" Connie asked incredulously, to which Christa responded with a nod.

"From what I hear-" Sasha interjected. "She's really hard to get along with, mainly 'cause she doesn't want to get along with anybody. She doesn't like anyone and she acts like she's totally better than everyone. She's also short-tempered and quick to fight. She skips most of her classes and had to repeat a year one time because of it." Sasha listed off what she remembered hearing. Then she suddenly added, "Of course, I'm not sure how much of it is exaggerated!" she admitted with a blush, rubbing the back of her head.

Connie only nodded his head sagely, adding, "Point is, nobody's gonna approach you as long as you're near her, so try to avoid being too close to her too often. It already sucks that you have to sit next to her."

The blonde nodded, taking in all that her friends were saying. _I guess that would explain the look Reiner gave her, I guess._

Christa spent the rest of the period chatting with the other students. She realized that their homeroom was full of many... colorful personalities. She met a boy named Jean who seemed to argue with Eren a whole lot. She was introduced to Annie, the silent blonde with a stare as icy as Mikasa's who was also in Christa's biology class. She and Mikasa also seemed to have a sort of tension between them, Christa noted. Then there was Marco, a freckled boy who was very shy, but also very nice. There were a few others in the class Christa hadn't met, but the bell sounded to put an end to the school day. Christa made her way back to her seat, only to notice Ymir had already left for the day. She could see the girl through the window, trudging along the school pathway as she headed towards the gate. _"And Reiner says I move fast." _Christa thought to herself as she grabbed her bag.

She ended up leaving the class with a pretty large group. She, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Sasha, and Connie all left together. Eren and Jean were arguing out loud while Sasha drooled over a candy bar Mikasa was snacking on. Connie was telling a plethora of jokes and riddles that sometimes amused and sometimes confused Christa while Armin simply pointed out and corrected all of Connie's inaccuracies. In no time at all, they all reached the bus stop. They bid their various goodbyes as they split up in different directions. The only people left at the bus stop were Christa and Sasha.

As the first bus approached, Sasha climbed on board, only to stop midway. "You coming Christa?"

"Umm no, I'm sort of waiting on someone first." Christa played with her fingers nervously.

"If you want, I'll wait with you."

"Nah that's okay! Really."

Sasha narrowed her eyes at the girl, but decided to take her seat regardless. She opened the bus window and stuck nearly half her body out, waving goodbye to Christa as the bus pulled off, all the way up until they were totally out of sight.

Christa sighed, looking to her left, then her right, before leaning against the post. She knew the next bus wouldn't pass for another half hour. She crossed her arms and tapped impatiently just thinking of it. After a few minutes though, she realized she was only wasting energy and rested on a nearby bench.

After nearly half an hour of total loneliness, Christa could see a large figure approaching her rather quickly.

"Sorry I took so long! I lost track of the time." Reiner huffed, buckling at his knees in exhaustion and panting furiously, his forehead drenched in sweat.

"You caused us miss the first bus." Christa scolded with a pout. "I can catch the bus on my own anyway, why do I _absolutely_ have to wait on you?"

"Who knows what could happen to you if you caught the bus alone.", he reasoned.

"I used to catch the bus alone all the time and nothing happened."

"This is a totally different place. There's a gang around here that calls themselves the Titans that just loves to prey on people, no matter who you are. I'm here to protect you from those guys and make sure they don't hurt you."

"Who said I need protection, I can defend myself. Don't forget I attended the same training camp you did." Christa whined.

"Even so, suppose there's like three or four of them? Then what?"

"Then I'll figure something out. The point is, you don't have to be around me one hundred percent of the time." Christa began to raise her voice.

Before Reiner could argue back, the next bus pulled up and Christa stormed on board, the large boy following quickly in tow. Reiner took a seat, expecting Christa to take the one next to his, but instead, she took a seat about two rows back. The blond boy made a move to follow but was immediately shot back into his seat as the bus pulled off abruptly.

The ride home was fairly short. The two paid the driver as they got off the bus and walked over to the house gates. They met the black jeep already in the driveway. When they went inside, Christa immediately headed upstairs. Reiner only shook his head. His bedroom was the only one downstairs.

As Christa headed to her room, she accidentally crashed into Mr. Braun, causing her to fall flat on her bottom. She looked up at his towering form, cigarette lit in his mouth, and couldn't help but tremble under his gaze. Slowly he removed the cigarette from his mouth, some of the hot ashes landing on Christa's hands and uniform. She frantically brushed the searing black dust off her hands. He puffed a cloud of smoke at her, Christa quickly clipping her nose and shutting her eyes from the fumes. Mr. Braun scoffed at the petite girl, walking around her and continuing down the stairs. After a few more moments spent on the cold wooden floor, Christa lifted herself up and dusted her uniform off, heading into her room sluggishly.

She closed the door and locked it. Her back slid down the hard wood of the door, feeling every groove in the french-style entrance against her spine. She hugged her shoulders and tucked her knees tight against her chest, fighting back some tears. She sobbed quietly, a few tears escaping her stronghold. She sat there for about twenty minutes trying to calm herself. When she felt steady, she headed toward the mirror, exterminating a few lingering drops of warm moisture from her cheeks with a swipe of the finger. She looked herself up and down in the mirror, shook her head furiously, and then headed to her bed. Then, as if she had a sudden change of heart, she turned around and headed to the shower instead, stopping at her drawer to get a change of clothes and then heading out the door.

As she walked out of the shower, completely changed and refreshed, she heard Reiner calling her down for dinner. Hesitantly, she joined the father and son duo downstairs at the dinner table. The meal was awkward and eaten in silence. Christa was the first to excuse herself from the table, quickly swiping her plate up and heading to the sink, although Mr. Braun's eyes caught that she barely touched her food. She hurried back upstairs and locked herself back in her room, plopping down in her bed, hugging the pillow.

She drifted to sleep near instantly.

Within fifteen minutes the other two occupants finished their food and went to their beds. A few more minutes later, there was a pounding at Christa's door, waking the girl up.

"Open this door!" a gruff voice demanded from the other side.

Christa wasted no time in complying with the order.

As Christa began to pull the door open, Mr. Braun pushed it open with force, knocking the girl back and injuring her wrist. He looked Christa up and down, causing the girl to cringe under his gaze again. In a low voice he started, "I noticed that you barely touched your food."

Christa swallowed. "I didn't have much of an appetite today, so I-"

"Do you know how hard I work for the money that buys that food? The food that you wasted!" he barked.

Christa fidgeted, afraid to really move. Suddenly, Mr. Braun grabbed her wrist. She cried out from the sheer power in his grip. Slowly, he pushed the door close with his foot and leaned in, careful to lock it.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note:** Yes! My first babble session :D First I'd like to thank you guys for reading so far and I'd especially like to thank you for the feedback! I honestly wasn't sure whether I should release this story yet or not, especially considering I'm currently in examination mode. That being said, I'd like to ask for more feedback, I'm the type that gets nervous when you don't say anything and it messes with my flow~ So if you have any questions, comments, or criticism you want to drop feel free to through reviews, pm's or even drop a comment on my facebook profile (a link is available on my ff profile). Feedback people, please! Enough of this though, back to the story!_

**~oOo~**

"Hey you little snots! I've trained infants to run faster than that, hustle! Hustle!"

The morning sun reflected off the top of Keith's head as he stood in the grass, feet spread and arms folded. He wore red shorts and a white t-shirt with a whistle dangling from his neck, which he blew at every student that seemed to be lagging behind.

The students from room 104 had the unlucky draw of having Keith Shadis for their physical ed teacher. It was the only class that the entire homeroom had together and he was planning to make his assigned homeroom suffer as punishment for him having to 'babysit' them. Today, they'd be doing track.

"Faster maggots!" Keith grinned as he heard multiple groans from the track.

Christa pushed as hard as she could, rivulets of sweat pouring down her face. She was better than average, but even she couldn't compare to the athletes who made themselves obvious, already laying out in the grass after completing their 10 laps, namely Mikasa and Annie.

Christa was the fourth to finish, collapsing into the grass next to Eren, who was third. Reiner was strong, but long-distance running had never been his strong suit, so he was visibly struggling on the track. Christa yelled words of encouragement to him every time he passed by, giving him a noticeable boost each time.

Christa watched the rest of the students struggle to finish their laps, especially Dazz, who always seemed weaker than the average person. She took note of two missing faces, Ymir and Sasha. Ymir was no shocker. She was probably just sleeping on the roof again. Sasha on the other hand... Christa found it strange for the girl to be missing in action like this.

After Keith got tired of watching the last few people drag themselves along the track, he decided to move the class forward. As they moved off the track, Shadis' eyes scanned through the crowd of students, an annoyed scowl growing on his face.

"Where is Sasha?" He growled in a low voice. "Where'd that slacker head off to?"

He rounded each student and walked further ahead near some large shaded trees that served as a cool resting spot for students after physical ed. Suddenly, his ear picked up some muffled growls behind a tree. The class watched curiously as he checked the back side of the tree, grinned strangely, and pulled a familiar brunette from the guise of the shadows. Holding her left arm above her head, Keith pulled Sasha close and his grin dropped. "What are you eating Braus?"

Sasha swallowed and shook her head furiously, her free hand placed protectively behind her back. Keith noticed this and grabbed the item she hid behind her back.

"What is this shit you're eating?" Keith asked, eyeballing the somewhat spherical item in his hand. His eyes were slightly larger than normal, if that was possible.

"A..." Sasha swallowed her words before opening her mouth again. "A baked potato sir." she answered with uncertainty.

There were muffled laughs from the students, but Keith continued to probe her, bewilderment in his eyes. "Why would you eat a baked potato during my class time? I don't get it."

"I forgot this was first period and I really wanted to eat it while it was still hot." Sasha reasoned quietly.

"I don't understand, why a potato?"

"... I don't know, sir."

~oOo~

The day went by pretty much uneventful and lunch came quickly. Students sped out of their various classrooms, heading toward the school cafeteria. Very few brave souls dared to go against the current, forcing their way through the torrents of bodies to escape the building. Amongst murmurs, obnoxiously loud conversations, and silly arguments, a distinct struggle broke its way to the surface.

"NO!"

"You have to!"

"Don't wanna!"

"Doesn't matter! You - Have - To!"

"Please god, spare me! Don't make me go!"

"Sasha! Stop struggling so much!"

In a corner away from the hustle and bustle of the school hallway, Christa was pulling Sasha by her waist, trying to force the brunette to let go of a doorknob she was clutching to for dear life. Trying to pull Sasha away from a school cafeteria at lunch was like trying to pull a starving wolf from meat, and the possibility that you may just lose an arm in the struggle was just as great.

"It's not fair!" Sasha cried out, genuine tears falling from her eyes.

"If you don't show up for your punishment, who knows what Shadis would do!"

Sasha groaned as she resigned, dropping her head low in utter defeat. She released the doorknob and followed Christa with a grim expression, like a criminal being shuffled out of the courtroom after being condemned to the death sentence.

Sasha had been issued punishment after the potato incident with Shadis that morning. She had also suffered being branded with the permanent stigma of being "Potato-girl", something she had hoped would eventually fade away, a hope that was now gone. Sasha was to meet with Keith at lunchtime to make up for the class she had wasted eating.

As soon as Sasha arrived, changed and laced up, Keith gave the order for her to keep running until she fainted. Devastated that she would definitely be missing lunch, Sasha began her laps on the track.

Christa followed to keep an eye on her friend, rooting Sasha on through the majority of the lunch period. Eventually the bell rang and Christa had no legitimate excuse to miss post-lunch roll call, so she headed to class, but not before leaving some bottled waters out for Sasha, who acknowledged them with a quick nod and a quiet "Thank you".

The blonde girl found that she was definitely impressed with Sasha's resolve. Even after Keith had left, she ran with all she could, not slowing down even the slightest. She had thought that Sasha would run away the second Shadis looked away, but the brunette continued to endure her punishment.

Mindlessly, Christa reached her arm out to push the homeroom door open when she felt something warm beneath her hand.

"You mind?" She heard a husky voice come from behind her causing her to nearly jump out of her skin.

She quickly reeled in her hand, stumbling back slightly. Christa closed her eyes tightly, knowing her somewhat clutzy nature, absolutely sure she would fall. That's why when she felt herself stop mid-fall, her eyes fluttered open and she mentally thanked the heavens for whatever warm body was supporting her. However, the second her eyes caught sight of those freckles, a frown quickly replaced her gentle smile and she pulled herself back to her feet.

Ymir watched the girl's reaction to her with an amused expression, chuckling slightly under her breath, but choosing not to comment. Instead she slicked closer, a sly grin gracing her features. Christa pressed herself against the door, turning her head away from Ymir's as the taller girl drew closer. The blonde could feel her face redden under Ymir's gaze. Suddenly, Christa felt the support of the door disappear and she fell back on her hip, Ymir holding her stomach in mirth.

"Ymirrrr!"

"It's all good pipsqueak." Ymir continued to laugh obnoxiously as she stepped over Christa and plopped into her seat. The entire class either glared at Ymir in disgust or watched over Christa with a mix of pity and sympathy.

Just as Christa lifted herself from the floor, all eyes cast to the center of the room. Reiner stomped through the class, turning over every chair in his path and shoving away any student stupid enough to remain in his way. His nostrils were flared as he bit down on his lip and his face was completely washed over in red from fury. He breathed long, heavy breaths as he stood in front of Ymir.

"I'm getting tired of your goddamn shit Ymir." Reiner bellowed from the pit of his stomach.

"Oh no, did I invoke the wrath of Reiner Braun? Oh please forgive me." Ymir rolled her eyes, pleading sarcastically. "Bite me ya big mutt."

Immediately Reiner reached over the desk and gripped Ymir's collar in his right fist, but as soon as he clutched hers, she clutched his. Ymir rose to her feet and the two squared off, not one of them releasing their grip on the other. Suddenly Ymir smirked amidst the tension, slightly unnerving Reiner but he quickly regained his composure.

"What's wrong? All bark and no bite? Punch me, I fucking dare you." Ymir spat in Reiner's face.

Reiner pulled his arm back, fully prepared to make good of Ymir's offer when he felt a large hand wrap around his fist. He immediately recognized Bertholdt's touch and calmed down slightly. The tall boy shook his head and pulled Reiner back, both opponents releasing each other with Bertholdt's intrusion.

"Please guys, this is stupid and childish." the tall boy spoke, being the only voice of reason present. Reiner grunted in response while Ymir only turned up her nose. "Let's go Reiner, leave it alone."

Reiner made up his face, preparing his protest, but immediately bit back his words and wiped off Ymir's saliva from his face. "Don't you ever fuck around with Christa again." He grumbled but walked away, Bertholdt following right behind him.

Ymir also grumbled to herself, throwing herself back in her seat and engaging in her favorite pass time, staring out the window, though with a scowl on her face rather than her usual bored expression.

Christa was afraid to sit next to Ymir while she was in that kind of mood, so she hovered about the class until finally settling into a conversation with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin.

Five minutes into attendance, Shadis had yet to show up. With his warning and instructions of what to do in his absence still remaining fresh in the students' heads, a paper was passed around the class for students to sign their name to prove they were present. The responsibility of getting the papers to Shadis' office was placed on Armin, who was proven to be the most reliable. The students dismissed themselves and surprisingly Christa was the first to leave, not waiting on anyone.

Ymir noticed Christa's behavior as well as how the blonde girl intentionally avoided her seat today, but immediately shrugged it off as unimportant. Instead she had bigger matters to worry about.

~oOo~

"I'll give you this, but only because you remind me of myself when I was younger. Don't tell anyone alright." The old woman winked and gave a throaty laugh.

Christa tried her hardest not to scrunch up her nose or show any sign of repulsion when the woman's breath forced its way into her nostrils. Instead, she forced a smile on her face and gratefully thanked her for the container she was passing the blonde. Christa bowed and left the large woman to her kitchen duties, biting the inside of her lip. _"I hope she was lying." _Christa thought to herself with a sigh of distress. _"I really don't want to be like that when I grow up!"_

Christa slipped the container into her bag and headed down the hall.

~oOo~

"Ymir, I hope you remember the conditions I laid out for you. You _are_ keeping them in mind right?"

"Sometimes." Ymir shrugged.

Ymir sat in an arm chair in the corner of a small office. It was somewhat dark since the blinds hadn't been drawn. Still, little twinkles and thin rays squeezed themselves through the thin cracks between the blinds, slightly illuminating the sharp figure sitting at the large wooden desk with his back to the window. On his desk sat a little gold plaque-card that read, 'Principal Erwin Smith'.

"Well I see being enrolled here isn't that important to you." He ran his fingers through his slicked back, golden locks. "After all, to be here with the scouts requires dedication and loyalty, things you don't seem to have for us."

Ymir grit her teeth and mumbled under her breath.

"What was that Ymir?"

"I said I want to be a scout, sir. Sorry." She hissed between her teeth.

"Good. Now to get down to business." Erwin went on, unfazed by the daggers Ymir mentally shot at him. He pulled some papers out of his desk drawer and straightened them with a few taps on his desk. Laying them flat on the edge of his desk, he gestured for Ymir to come grab them, a demand the tall brunette quickly complied with.

"What's this?" She waved the papers to fan herself.

"A contract. You are obligated to fulfill all the guidelines as outlined in that paperwork. Failure to do so will result in your immediate expulsion. It's just as we discussed. "

"Right, I know already." Ymir rolled her eyes and grabbed a pen out of her bag. "So, where do I sign?" She placed the papers back on his desk.

"The point of printing this is so you could read it, don't you think so?" Despite his words, Erwin pointed out the lines provided for student signature. Ymir began signing.

"Why bother? You say it's the same as we discussed right?" Just as she finished the statement she finished the last stroke on the last dotted line.

"Well there was a slight difference." Ymir nearly choked when Erwin mentioned this. "I'll be assigning you to another student, one of our new students. I want you to learn some things about cooperation and teamwork."

Ymir sighed, rubbing her thumbs against her temples, regretting her decision. "Well, who is it?"

"I think you'll be pleased with my choice. I think she will be a good influence on you. At the same time, I think you two will support each other well and-"

"Quit beating around the bush and just give it to me straight. You didn't put me to some snot-nosed junior right?"

"No, this student is in the same grade as you. Well, that's one of the criteria for my choice anyway."

"What are you talking about?"

"In all honesty, I haven't picked a student as of yet, I'm combing through a few files now, but I have an idea of what I'm looking for."

"Why can't _I_ just pick someone? I refuse to prance around the school getting dragged around by some random chick."

"You don't really have a choice in the matter."

Ymir clicked her tongue, resigning in anger. Her eyes subconsciously made their way to the window where she caught sight of something interesting.

~oOo~

Christa walked out to the track only to find Sasha collapsed in the grass. The girl almost looked dead and all the water bottles Christa left out for her had been emptied, crushed, and abandoned.

Christa approached the girl slowly, kneeling just next to her in the grass. She nudged the brunette but received no response. "Get up Sasha, you can't just stay out here."

The girl groaned.

Christa giggled and pulled her bag in front of her. She reached in and pulled out the container the lunch lady had given her earlier. The second she removed the lid, the whole area around her was engulfed in the familiar scent of cafeteria gruel. It was the only thing left since everybody avoided the stuff. While the scent personally made Christa's stomach turn, she knew the scent of any form of food made Sasha's mouth water. As soon as the scent hit Sasha's nose, the girl bounced to life.

Sasha went on all fours, a dangerous glint in her eyes. In one quick leap, she snatched the bowl from Christa's hand. Holding it above her head, she allowed the meal to ooze out of the bowl and slide down her throat. When she cleaned the bowl of its contents, Sasha collapsed once again into the grass, this time with a contented smile.

Christa giggled again after getting over the initial shock. She slung one of Sasha's arms around her neck and tried to get them both to their feet.

"Sasha... you're heavier than you look. " Christa struggled to lift the girl, Sasha babbling incoherently the whole time.

"Well when she eats the way she does, what would you expect?" A voice spoke from behind the two, laced with disinterest.

Christa's eyes launched up to the source of the all-too-familiar voice. "Ymir? What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that, what're _you_ doing out here during fifth period? You're not the type to skip class." Ymir knelt until she was near eye-level with the shorter girl. "I don't know what you're hoping to get out of this girl, but she doesn't have much use just to let you know."

"I'm not trying to get anything out of her! I'm just trying to help!" Christa yelled defensively.

"Why?"

"Because she's my friend, and you're supposed to help your friends, Ymir. But you wouldn't know anything about that apparently."

Ymir laughed. "Damn right I wouldn't! I don't get it at all!"

Ymir grabbed the sleeping brunette and tossed the girl over her shoulder. Christa looked up at her, clearly confused. As Ymir lifted herself with ease, Sasha dangling off her shoulder looking as comfortable as always, she smirked. "Don't get confused shortie. Unlike you, I'm only doing this so she'll owe me."

"I thought you said she wouldn't have any use." Christa mocked, following suit and standing as well.

Ymir flicked Christa's nose. "Not for someone as sweet and innocent as you. But me, I could find some use for her." Ymir turned on her heels and began heading towards the school building.

Christa pouted but she quickly caught up to Ymir when she realized the brunette was planning to leave her behind if she didn't start moving. Ymir didn't bother to look at Christa. Instead, she kept looking straight forward which irritated Christa slightly. "I hope you're not planning to just drop her off to class."

"Hell no, I'm not going anywhere near the classrooms! As far as I'm concerned, that's the danger zone."

"Then where are you taking her?"

"It's obvious, ain't it?"

Without another word, the two continued down the hall, Sasha swaying with every move and turn Ymir made, snoring now. They walked until they reached a small metal door. Ymir banged on the door aggressively.

In a few moments the door was opened and a familiar brunette woman poked her head through the opening, grinning wide as usual. "Well if it isn't Ymir, I see you have guests. Come in, come in."

Ymir stepped in with no hesitation, but Christa trembled slightly as she forced her feet to enter.

The woman closed the door behind them and announced, "Welcome to my humble office!"

Ymir set Sasha down on one of three available beds in the small, white office. Christa stood in the center of the room uncomfortably. Before she could make a move, the woman closed in on Christa, examining her from head to toe. "You're in my biology class aren't you?"

"Yes, Hanji-sensei."

"No need to be so formal." Hanji waved. "Just Hanji is fine."

"Okay." Christa squeaked. "Umm, what kind of office is this?"

"Hmm, this is my private office."

"But there are beds for the nurse's office here..."

"Sure are."

"And, chemicals and beakers... and... and samples. Animal samples."

"Yup!"

Christa had absolutely no idea what to think. She was mystified, and that mad grin on Hanji's face didn't help much. Before Christa could spew any more questions just to receive some ambiguous answer, Ymir decided to put an end to the annoying Q&A.

"Hanji is the Head of Research for the military and also the school nurse." Ymir said matter-of-factly. "Sometimes when I need a good excuse to skip class, I come here to help her out with some experiments."

"Like... a guinea pig?" Christa whispered, slightly disturbed.

Ymir grinned a mischievous, toothy grin as she responded. "Sometimes."

As the two talked, no one noticed when Hanji made her way over to the small beds and examined Sasha. She looked her up and down, smiling sometimes and jotting down notes other times. After she seemed satisfied with whatever she had been doing, she grabbed some medical tools from a cupboard overhead, grinning wildly. Luckily Ymir's sharp hearing picked up the clank of metal and she turned just before Hanji had begun her dissection.

"She's not dead." Ymir warned.

Hanji looked up at her blankly. "I know."

Ymir nearly knocked herself out with the massive face-palm she gave herself. "She's not a test-subject either." Ymir growled in frustration.

"Aww!"

"Umm..." Despite the fact that she was very involved in the situation, the two brunettes had actually forgotten about her. Christa shifted nervously, twiddling her fingers, standing near the door with her bag on her back. "I think I'll head to class now."

~oOo~

Mr. Braun sat at his desk, filling out some paperwork, when a middle-aged blond officer approached him with a legal sized envelope in his hand. "This just came in for you from Captain Smith over at the academy."

"Just rest it here Hannes, I'll look at it before I leave."

The officer complied, resting the file on Mr. Braun's desk before laughing heartily. "It's probably another trouble child over at the academy that he wants you to deal with. Man, it must suck being the only probation's officer still stationed in this town, huh."

Mr. Braun looked up at him, unamused. "I'm tired of dealing with these disgusting teenage boys and their discipline problems. I barely wanna deal with my own boy."

"Now don't be like that. This time it might be a cute little kitten." An old bald man winked as he entered the office, finger tracing his short white moustache.

Mr. Braun stood to his feet while Hannes saluted the man. "Commander Pixis, what brings you to my office?"

"Nothing in particular. I was just drawn in by the conversation." He smiled brightly. "Why don't you check it out now, who knows, it might be a pretty little lady they stick under your wing." Pixis spoke cheerfully.

Mr. Braun reluctantly opened the document and inspected the files. "Well it is a girl..." He sighed. "But she's far from cute." He carelessly tossed the papers on the desk, unimpressed. Retrieving a cigar from his drawer, he motioned his cigar box in front of his guests, an offer that wasn't refused by either of them. After lighting the cigars, Mr. Braun sank in his chair, relaxing with a puff.

"When are you being assigned to the kid?" Hannes asked before taking his first puff.

"Sometime next month." Mr. Braun ran his fingers through his short black locks in frustration. "I better be getting promoted out of this town soon."

~oOo~

"You shouldn't involve yourself too much with Ymir." Reiner said flatly as he and Christa entered the door to their home. "She's only trouble and she'll only cause you to get hurt."

"Since when is who I associate with your decision?" Christa responded easily. There was no anger, no sadness, no real emotion, it just sounded like a regular question.

This unnerved Reiner slightly, but his resolve was firm and he was determined to make Christa understand. "It's not like I'm trying to meddle or anything. I'm just warning you and suggesting, as someone who cares for you, that you not get yourself involved with _Ymir_." He had meant to sound unbiased, but he couldn't help but growl as he mentioned the girl's name.

"I may be short Reiner, but don't mistake me for a little kid! I can handle _myself_!" Christa brushed past Reiner in an attempt to walk away from the situation. Reiner on the other hand, was not about to let the conversation end there. He grabbed her arm but she quickly yanked out of his grip, as if on reflex. She didn't bother to make eye contact with him, in fact she avoided it. Although it wasn't in her face, her eyes had shown a flurry of emotions. Emotions that could never be explained with words.

"I'm just worried about you Christa." He admitted quietly, eyes cast on the floor.

Christa wasn't sure how to respond so instead, she walked away just as she attempted before, but this time not out of anger. It was an unreadable expression to Reiner, one he had never seen his little angel make before. It made him swallow a breath he didn't remember holding. At that moment, he wasn't sure what to do.

Meanwhile, Christa entered her room and threw herself into her bed, belly-down. She looked around the room, eyes peeking over a pillow she had placed up against her face. Nearly a year ago, this was just an empty guest bedroom. Reiner and his father took her in when she really needed somewhere to go and Christa really was eternally grateful to Reiner, but he's been being too protective of her. It wasn't new. He was always like that, but still.

Christa reached over to the bureau and pulled a framed picture closer to her. It was one of Reiner and her, from the end of the first month of a training camp the local soldiers held for hopeful future recruits; it was when they met and became friends. She traced a palm gently over the picture."I don't want you to worry about me so much you big idiot."


	4. Chapter 4

"Christa Renz, please report to the principal's office. I repeat, Christa Renz, to the principal's office."

Christa barely had the chance to enter the class before the announcement was made over the PA system. As she walked down the hall, she felt like students were whispering about her, even though they were silent. It was just the fear of being labeled with delinquency that was settling into the back of her head. She'd never been called to the principal's office before, and she always figured that it could only mean trouble. She swallowed.

As Christa approached the administrations building, she felt the ball of nervousness in the pit of her stomach grow. The doors seemed unusually heavy to her when she pushed them open. She approached the receptionist's desk, but no one was there. She looked left and right from the place she stood, not sure if she should continue on to Principal Smith's office or if she should wait.

Suddenly, she heard a door open from down the hall and saw a young woman with a darker-blonde hair color emerge from the room.

Christa tried to get her attention. "Umm, good morning. I'm-"

"Oh, are you Christa!?" The woman exclaimed cheerfully. She seemed very agreeable and easy to get along with. It calmed Christa down a bit. "I only just made the announcement, I didn't expect you to get here so quickly." She chuckled.

"My friend tells me I walk very quickly." Christa quoted Reiner.

The woman giggled. "Well, you can just head over to Principal Smith's office now. It's the very last door on the left, with the old wooden door.", she directed as she slid behind the receptionist's desk and straightened some papers that were sitting there. "Trust me, you can't miss it!"

"Thank you for the help." Christa bowed and then headed down the hall. She had almost forgotten about being scared after that conversation with the plucky receptionist, but when she approached the door, all the fear set in again. She nearly buckled at her knees and could barely bring her arm up to knock on the door. When she heard the muffled 'Come in' from the other side of the door, she summoned all her strength to turn the knob and push the door open.

Erwin Smith sat behind his desk, looking as though he had been patiently awaiting Christa's arrival. His hands were clasped and placed neatly on the desk as he watched Christa attentively, only helping to wrack the girl's nerves even more. "Take a seat please." He gestured her to take the one directly in front of his desk.

Christa's eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness of his office, and the few streaks of light that striped his face only served to make him look frightening.

Suddenly he gave something that looked remotely similar to a smile, if one could call it that. Still, it softened his face a little. "You look nervous. Are you?"

Christa nodded hesitantly. "Am I in trouble?"

"Did you do anything to get yourself in trouble?"

Christa shook her head violently earning a small, short chuckle from the man.

"Then why are you worried? I only called you here to apologize and ask a favor of you if it won't be any trouble."

Christa looked at him with widened eyes. "Apologize? For what, this is the first time I've met you."

"Well yes, but you see-" He opened up a drawer in his desk and shuffled through some papers. "It seems I went and got you involved in something without first asking your permission. Sometimes I forget to inform the people involved in my plans before I execute them."

Christa watched him in confusion. "I don't understand what you're talking ab-"

"Here it is." He pulled a file out of the desk drawer and slid it across the table to Christa. The girl took the file cautiously. "How are you adjusting to life at St. Rose? You aren't having any problems I hope."

"I think it's going fine, I haven't run into any problems so far."

"And you're not having any trouble finding your way around campus, are you?"

"Sometimes." Christa admitted honestly though slightly embarrassed.

"How would you like to be assigned to a long-time student in your class that can show you the ropes? They can help you with the ins and outs here at St. Rose."

Christa thought about it for a few seconds. "I'm not sure. It sounds nice but I don't want to be an inconvenience to the other person."

Erwin shook his head. "You won't be. In fact, you're this student's saving grace." He tapped his finger on the file, gesturing for Christa to open it.

As Christa flipped over the cover, her eyes widened. "This is Ymir."

"I'm glad you're familiar with her."

"Why?" Christa was trying her best to wrap her head around the situation but she just couldn't understand.

"I'll cut to the chase." Erwin's face became deadly serious. Leaning on his elbows, his face half covered by his clasped hands, he changed the entire atmosphere of the room to a heavy tension. Even his voice seemed deeper when he spoke. "Ymir is on her last leg here. This academy is a military project meant to provide a free education to students in this town, offering some of the best and well-versed members of the army as teachers. For that reason, I refuse to allow this privilege to be abused. All I ask for is discipline. Ymir has broken the rules here far too often and fought on too many occasions for me to ignore this anymore, however, if she can meet a few conditions I have set for her I may reconsider the idea of expulsion. One of those requirements is to cooperate with an assigned student. Whether she stays or goes will be decided on my part under the advise of said student."

"And that student... is me?" Christa asked, pointing to herself.

Erwin nodded. "She has already agreed to these terms. It's just up to you now."

"Why me?"

"I looked over your file." He said, pulling out another folder from his drawer, this one marked with Christa's name on it. "It was absolutely spotless. No detentions, no bad reports, no office conferences. Nothing but good grades and praises from teachers and staff members. It was blemish free, something Levi could appreciate."

Christa felt herself blush over from embarrassment. "I'm sure you have students like that here as well. That still doesn't explain why you picked me."

"Yes, that's true. You see reading your file, I realized something that was not so praiseworthy." He rested the file on his desk and looked Christa straight in the eye. "Tell me, what teams and committees were you on at your old school? What events did you participate in?"

Christa bit her lip, realizing where Erwin was going with this.

"Just as I thought. Here at St. Rose, although it is not required, student participation is emphasized. While I won't force you to, I would like for you to be an active member of our student body. We hold interesting events here, and I think it would be a waste for you not to attend them. I'd like you to participate and, if possible, with Ymir."

"Does that mean Ymir doesn't participate?"

"No, she does. In fact, I can't think of an event that Ymir hadn't been an active participant of. It's the nature of that participation that has me concerned. I won't elaborate on that."

"So basically, if I don't agree to this student assignment thing there's no consequence for me, but Ymir would get kicked out?"

"That is what I'm strongly considering as my next option."

Christa thought about it for a minute or two although for her, the choice was clear. The time was more spent on imagining what her school life was going to be like now that she would be walking around with Ymir. She couldn't imagine Ymir agreeing to it in the first place. Then again, she already did. And anyway, how bad could it be? "I'll do it."

"That's excellent news." Erwin leaned across his desk to press a button sitting on the base of his microphone. "Petra, you can send her in now."

_"Right away Principal Smith."_

In a few moments, there was a quick knock at the door. The person didn't bother to wait before inviting themself in.

"Mornin'." Ymir greeted. She stopped as she noticed Christa, eying the girl suspiciously. "What's going on here?"

"Ymir, meet the person you'll be assigned to." Erwin introduced, Christa offering a small, nervous wave.

"Fuck no." Christa cringed under the harsh rejection.

"Well, I'll get your expulsion papers written up right away. It was interesting having you here."

Erwin's somewhat subtle threat was enough to make Ymir understand how little options she had in this. She clicked her tongue. "Fine, I'll cooperate.", she grumbled just before she stormed out of the office.

Christa bowed a quick goodbye to Erwin who dismissed her with a wave before she chased behind Ymir. Christa caught up to the taller girl just as she exited the administration building.

"You seriously almost chose getting kicked out of school over being assigned to me?" Christa asked as she struggled to maintain Ymir's pace.

"Yup.", was Ymir's dry response.

Christa grabbed Ymir's arm in an attempt to stop her but Ymir just kept walking, dragging Christa with her when the girl refused to let go.

"Get off me."

"No way, I didn't do anything for you to treat me like this. In fact, I'm only trying to help you out and if you don't wanna get kicked out of school, I suggest you start cooperating with me." Christa warned.

Suddenly Ymir stopped in her tracks. She shoved Christa off of her and leaned in with a scowl on her face. "Was that some kind of threat?" Ymir hissed.

Christa didn't back down. "It wasn't meant to be but you know what, you can take it as one because that seems to be the only thing you respond to."

Ymir was slightly taken aback by Christa's decision to stand up to her, but she didn't show it. Instead, she continued the stand-off. "When did I ask for your help in the first place? Why do you think you have to play the angel, just doing good for goodness sake? Please, everybody has a selfish desire they're trying to fulfill by 'helping out the needy'. Every. Single. Damn. Person."

"I'm diff-"

"What you're going to tell me you're different? That you're some selfless, sacrificial saint out to make the world a better place? Utter bullshit!"

"Would you stop it!" Christa near screeched, shocking herself.

Ymir fumbled a bit too, but she still didn't back down. "What, can't take it? Then leave me the fuck alone and let me handle my own damn business. Meanwhile you can go home and cry to your mommy-"

"Take it back."

"Huh?"

"Take. It. Back." Each word sounded like a barked order.

Christa's head was down so Ymir couldn't see her face, only the tension in the blonde's jaw. She watched Christa's fists tighten until her knuckles became a pale white. Ymir was half-startled and half-amused, though she only allowed the latter to show on her face.

Christa lunged toward Ymir, shoving the brunette into the wall. Classes had already started, so no one was around to witness this little conflict. "I'm going to ask you one more time. Take it back."

"Nah, I don't think I will." Ymir smirked from the wall, looking down at Christa with taunting eyes.

Ymir's smirk was quickly wiped clean off when a small fist backed up by surprisingly incredible strength came barreling into her stomach. It took a heap-load of strength for Ymir not to buckle at her knees from the impact, but it definitely knocked the wind out of her lungs.

Christa backed up after delivering the blow, scanning over Ymir's expression. Of course, Ymir met Christa's eyes with her own patented, unflinching stubbornness, smirking at Christa.

"You are such an asshole Ymir! I don't even get why you just didn't let yourself get kicked out of school if all you're going to do anyway is waste your life, sleeping it away on the roof and being a pain in the ass for everyone around you! Good riddance!" Christa delivered one last shove to the abdomen before storming off and leaving behind a startled Ymir.

Ymir finally let her legs give out on her as she grabbed her wounded abdomen. She spit out some blood, caused when she bit her lip after receiving the jab. "Damn, I didn't expect her to be that strong.", Ymir mumbled to herself as she stood to her feet once more, leaning against the wall for support. She looked down the hall, her eyes tracing the path Christa just took. She lifted one of her hands to her face, rubbing her temples in an attempt to stave off an incoming headache but to no avail. "Fuckin' great, now I'm definitely gonna get kicked out." She mentally slapped herself. _"I don't want to apologize, but now it looks like I'll have to. Shit..."_

~oOo~

"What's the matter Christa? You're barely touching your food." Sasha drooled as she watched in envy while Christa played with her lunch with an empty gaze.

"I guess I just don't have much of an appetite right now." In truth, Christa wasn't sure she'd be able to keep anything down with the way she felt.

"Then... can I?"

"Enjoy it." Christa offered a gentle yet somewhat forced smile to her friend.

Sasha had no problem devouring the food offered to her, having already finished her own lunch long before.

"It does seem like something's bothering you though." Mikasa added as she stole some meat out of Sasha's new plate, much to the other girl's dismay.

"It's nothing really." Christa tried her best to sound sincere but wasn't sure exactly how genuine she really sounded.

Sasha, Connie, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and Christa all sat around one of the large tables in the school's cafeteria. Throughout all the joke-telling and merry-making, Christa remained quiet, her eyes focused on her meal even though she wasn't eating it. Her behavior did not go undetected by her friends.

"I know you're lying, but I won't force you to talk about it." Mikasa continued her meal silently.

"Meanwhile, what's the deal with Ymir anyway?" Connie threw in from out of the blue. "I was practicing some shots on the court the other day after school and she was sitting on the bleachers making fun of me _every time_ I missed a shot. Why's she so damn obnoxious?"

When he looked over at Eren and Mikasa, they didn't show much interest in the topic.

"Look, I've never really spoken to her and personally haven't had any bad encounters aside from maybe a slight bump in the hallway. But from what I've seen, not everyone can say the same." Eren explained to the best of his knowledge.

Connie was obviously unsatisfied with the answer. "Come on! Armin, I'm sure you know something, you know everything!"

Connie searched Armin's eyes but for once the boy offered no answers. He simply avoided Connie's gaze nervously. "That's not true."

"Just a little something! Why's she so bitchy?" Connie urged.

Suddenly, a clang at the end of the table caught everyone's attention as Christa's fork hit the floor. "Can we change the topic please?"

"Su-Sure Christa." Connie was stunned.

"I'm sorry." Christa apologized as she stood up from the table. "I'm ruining the mood, I'll just go."

Before anyone could open their mouth to convince her otherwise, Christa left the table and was out the cafeteria doors.

She hurried down the hallway, her thoughts a jumbled mess. She felt restless. All she wanted to do right now was blow off some steam. Somehow. Christa didn't even notice when Hanji came around the corner carrying a box of lab supplies.

"Woah!" Hanji just barely avoided Christa and saved her new equipment all in one move. "That was a close one. You don't look so good though."

"It's nothing." Christa dismissed.

"Christa Renz!" Hanji wasn't about to let her get away without answering her question. "To my office, now!"

~oOo~

"Now then, time to dissec- no, I mean- time to examine your mind! What's going on with _you_?" Hanji asked excitedly after resting her load on her main desk. She took a seat in a large office-chair and looked over Christa eagerly, but Christa only became more uncomfortable.

"Aren't you just the Head of Research?"

"Hmm." She placed a finger thoughtfully to chin. "I'm the Head of Research, the school nurse, I teach all the sciences, I'm co-vice principal along with Levi, and I'm also a guidance counselor." Hanji listed off on each finger. "Wow! Talk about a handful huh!" She laughed, playfully stretching all her fingers. "But enough about me, we're here for you. Why were you storming through the hallway earlier?"

"Well, if you're a guidance counselor-" Christa stopped mid-sentence, looking for assurance of the statement, which Hanji provided with a nod. "I guess I can talk to you then."

"Of course you can!"

Christa took in a few breaths to steady herself. "Well you see, it's about Ymir-"

"Ah, is my lil' friend causing trouble again? And now that I think about it, Erwin mentioned something about partnering you two together for the school year or something." Hanji thought hard to remember the exact details of her conversation with the principal. "Oh wait, I probably shouldn't have mentioned that yet."

"Oh no, he already told me about it, and I agreed to it too, but Ymir is being really stubborn about it."

"Yea, she tends to be like that." Hanji spun around in her chair thoughtfully.

"I think she'd rather get kicked out of school than deal with me. But that's alright, I can't stand to deal with her either." Christa pouted as she thought about their earlier conflict again.

Suddenly Hanji stopped spinning, facing Christa. She rested her feet flat on the ground and leaned on her lap, resting her chin in her hands. "I know this is a bit much to ask, but can you please not give up on Ymir and help her out?"

"Huh?" Christa could sense the sudden change in Hanji's mood. The woman suddenly became solemn, a total contrast from the mad scientist the blonde was used to speaking with.

Hanji rose glumly and inspected the different equipment she had on the tables. "I understand that she can be extremely hard to deal with, and even harder to understand sometimes. She's not the best with words, you see. But I can definitely assure you that she wants to stay at this academy, by all means."

Christa was at a loss for words. It took a few moments of awkward silence before she was able to gather her thoughts. "I guess I got a little too mad at her. Whether she wants my help or not, I already promised Principal Smith that I would, so I will."

"That's good." Hanji smiled knowingly. The bell rang at that moment. "You should probably go tell her that though."

"I will!" Christa was determined to make sure Ymir understood that whether she wanted the help or not, she was damn well going to take it.

She marched out the door, down the hallway, all the way to class. There were only a few other students already there, her target included. Without hesitation, she approached Ymir's desk, the brunette looking at her with a raised brow.

"What's your prob-"

"Listen Ymir, and listen good..." Christa cut off the other girl's sentence with authority in her voice. "I _am _helping you and I _will_ be making sure that you don't get kicked out of school. Maybe you really don't like me, but too bad, that doesn't change the fact that _I'm_ your _only option_, if you want to stay here. So your only choices are get kicked out, or deal with it, and I'm not gonna let the first one happen."

Ymir's jaw nearly dropped how surprised she was. She couldn't believe that Christa could talk like that. It seems that the whole day, the little blonde had been surprising her at every turn.

Christa took in a few more breaths, having used most of her air up in her little tirade. At least it wasn't wasted though, because by the look on Ymir's face, she got her point across. She smiled victoriously. "Got it?"

Ymir nodded. Soon her mouth curved into a smirk. _"This might actually be fun after all."_

"What are you smirking about?"

"Nothing."

_**Author's**** Note:** This one is a lot shorter than the ones before but definitely had more substance! And just like that, the gears start turning for the craziness I have in store for these guys :D !_


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** _I literally wrote this chapter last minute XP I didn't really get the chance to look over this chapter so I hope the mistakes aren't too fatal. Christmas is coming :D so I hope you'll use that spirit of forgiveness on me if the mistakes get too annoying!_

**~oOo~**

"No."

"Please!"

"I said no! Piss off."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"How 'bout because I don't want to. Now quit pestering me." Ymir growled in frustration.

"Aww Ymir!" Christa whined with puppy-dog eyes, fluttering her lids rapidly. "Pretty please?"

"Because that totally works on me." Ymir rolled her eyes as she droned sarcastically.

The two have been like this all morning for the past week and there wasn't a student in the class that hadn't taken notice to the sudden change. It was peculiar. That corner of the room had always remained unnoticed, aside from the attention Ymir would draw during her sudden outbursts. Otherwise, it remained a dark, forgotten bend in the back of everyone's minds. But for some reason, for the past few days, they couldn't help but notice the interactions between the blonde and the brunette.

"You're just being stubborn again." Christa pouted with her hands placed on her hips, standing up from her chair that she had pulled right up to Ymir's desk.

"And _you're_ just bugging me again." Ymir rebutted dryly, sliding back her chair as she stood.

"Come on, jus-" Before Christa could finish her statement, she found herself being pushed back into her seat. Ymir then pushed the chair, and the blonde in it, back where it belonged, behind Christa's desk. Christa called out behind her as Ymir returned to her seat, "You do realize I can still ask from here, right?"

"Yea, but it's so much easier to ignore you from way over there." she responded just before turning away from her neighbor.

Christa opened her mouth to deliver a comeback when Keith Shadis walked into the room, his face as sour as usual. As much as she wanted to bother Ymir some more, she wouldn't dare to speak out of turn in Shadis' presence.

Roll call went about as usual, all the students answering to their names with gusto save for Ymir who gave a snark remark, as usual. And, as usual, Keith had no time to respond properly to Ymir before the next bell rang to dismiss homeroom. So, as routine dictated, Ymir walked up to the front of the class and received her detention slip, which Keith always seemed to have prepared.

"You know you really should stop doing that." Christa suggested as Ymir exited homeroom. Normally, she would continue to class with Sasha and Connie, but today she decided to wait behind for Ymir. "It would be a waste if it causes you to get kicked out."

"Yea, that would mean I put up with you for nothing." Ymir breathed as she quickened her pace. "Also, you should quit following me, I'm not going to class."

After agreeing to be partnered together, Principal Smith immediately had their schedules adjusted so they would be in all the same classes. After explaining all the instructions and conditions to Christa, and repeating them for Ymir, the two were expected to meet certain criteria at the end of each month. After a bit of negotiating, Erwin even allowed Ymir some leeway in her bad habits.

"But it's just Home Economics and we're cooking today. Don't you think it'll be fun?" Christa spoke dreamily.

"No."

"Principal Smith said he'll only overlook three more skipped classes this month. You shouldn't waste that. Save them, you never know when they'll come in handy." In the past week that Christa had been dealing with Ymir, she learned how to persuade Ymir into doing just about anything. Just turn it around to sound like it would benefit her.

Ymir stopped in her tracks and breathed out a heavy sigh. She had almost forgotten that she wasn't at liberty to duck her classes whenever she felt like it anymore. Now, she was being monitored, like a criminal on parole. She gave in and allowed herself to be dragged to class by an eager Christa.

"So... about this morning-"

"Still no."

"Why!?"

~oOo~

"Today, I intend to find out who will sink and who will swim in my class." Levi walked the aisles between the stations, eying each group, taking an especially long look at the station that Christa, Sasha, and now Ymir, shared. "Unless you're an idiot or blind, I'm sure you've noticed by now that there is a set of ingredients on each station. Each station has the same amount of everything. If you so desire, you may trade any extra items you won't be using with groups near you, _quietly_. Today, I want each group to prepare any meal of any kind with the given ingredients. I don't care what you make and how you make it so long as you don't poison anyone. Any questions?"

"Right here." Ymir raised her hand despite the fact that Christa was desperately trying to stop her. "I see bread. What if I just wanna make toast? I doubt I'll poison anyone with toast."

"You can make your toast Ymir." Levi approached their station. Despite the height difference which would under normal circumstances, be hilarious, when Levi looked up to meet Ymir's eyes, he looked terribly vicious. "But know that if at the end of today's class, all you have to present me with is a plate of toast, you won't have to worry about _ever_ showing up to class again. Because, as long as I am the one teaching Home Economics, your 'F' grade would be absolute and oh so permanent. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal." Ymir mumbled.

As Levi made his way back to the front of the class where he would most likely spend the period reading, Christa jabbed Ymir in her side. Meanwhile, Sasha's eyes were preoccupied with the food set before them. Her immense love of food was enough to cancel out the slight fear of being so close to Ymir.

Near drooling over the food she looked over everything on the table, daydreaming blissfully of the wonderful aromas and delicious meals that were about to fill the classroom. "Hey Christa, what are we making?", she spoke between pants as she began to become a little too excited.

"Umm... I can't really decide on anything. When there's so much to choose from, it just makes it harder to choose.", Christa laughed slightly as she mentally flipped through files of recipes in her head. "Ymir, what do you think we shou- Ymir?" She looked left and right, wondering how the tall girl always vanished so easily, undetected.

"I'm down here.", she heard the girl call from the floor, followed by the clang of metal and the slam of a wooden cupboard. "Shit!"

Christa stepped back after hearing the yell, realizing she accidentally stepped on Ymir's hand. "Sorry, I never expected to ever have to look down for you. You have any idea of what we should make?"

"Just boil some stuff, maybe fry some stuff, throw that on a plate and call it a day." As Ymir stood back to her feet she brought up with her two large pots and a frying pan, along with miscellaneous utensils. Meeting Christa's annoyed glare, Ymir spat. "I couldn't care less what you decide to make. Just tell me when you're done."

"Could you at least _try_ to contribute?"

"I will. I'll taste when you're finished and make sure it ain't poison. I'm taking the most dangerous job."

"You can't!" Sasha suddenly cried out. "That's my job!"

"To hell it is, just help shortie here cook or something."

"I told you to stop calling me short!" Christa shoved Ymir.

"You are what you are, just accept it."

"Like how you should accept I'm the taste tester!" Sasha forced her position.

"Please if you taste tested, there won't be anything left for Levi. You'd just cost us the grade."

"Fine, then I'll just taste while we're cooking."

"That's even worse, we'd never finish!"

"Ahem!" Levi interrupted them from across the room. Somehow their hushed conversation blossomed into an argument the whole class couldn't help but overhear, if the quiet giggles and hushed jokes were any indication. "How about you all just start cooking and shut the hell up, the rest of us are trying to have class."

Eventually the three decided on a dish, fried rice topped with egg and a side of steamed vegetables. Well, it was more a decision on Christa's part since Sasha seemed to agree to any dish Christa suggested and Ymir had reverted into stubborn silence after the argument, moving back and forth from their station doing who knows what. They had about an hour and a half so Christa started cooking and preparing immediately, Sasha doing whatever she could to help speed up the process.

It seemed however, that luck wasn't on there side this class and Murphy's law began to rear its ugly head. Sasha tripped with the carton of eggs, breaking every last one of them while at the same time covering herself in their gooey innards. In the confusion, Christa accidentally let the rice sit it the pan too long and singed it before she was able to save it. The vegetables however, were able to escape the fate that befell the rest of the dish and was able to finish no problem. However, even that little victory was cut short when Sasha's stomach started speaking to her. And of course, during the entire course of the disastrous cooking, Ymir was nowhere near the station.

When the moment arrived for each of the groups to present something to Levi, Christa was distressed. Their meal became a complete disaster, a bowl of charred rice with nothing to go with it. She almost wanted to cry when she thought of what Levi would say as he engraved her 'F' in his mark book. Sasha couldn't stop apologizing to Christa for messing up so much, though the girl was too far gone to even realize it.

"Hey, let me taste that...", was all Christa heard from over her shoulder as a small spoon descended into their rice and took up a small sample.

"Ymir, seriously! It's all we have left!" Christa yelled at her.

"Just be quiet for a second will ya." Ymir was wearing her signature annoyed scowl as she silenced Christa with the spoon she had just stuck in her mouth to taste the rice, pressing it against the other girl's mouth, causing Christa's hair to nearly stand on edge when she felt the slime from Ymir's mouth make contact with her lip. Using her free hand, Ymir pulled a little baggie from her trouser pocket and spread it's contents atop the rice.

Pushing away the filthy spoon and wiping away any trace of Ymir from her lips, Christa asked, "What's that and where did you get it from?"

"When I saw the disaster that was going on over here, I decided to start grabbing little samples from other stations when nobody was looking. That is plum sauce, I think, compliment of the Jaeger, Arlert duo over there."

"You stole from the other groups?" Christa whispered incredulously.

"Never heard of free samples?" Ymir winked as she pulled out a baggie with some meat in it and added it to a plate.

By the time Levi arrived at their station, their meal was ready, and looked near perfect. Levi looked at them through narrow eyes, well at Ymir anyway. He didn't break the glare even as he took out his fork and tasted the different components to their meal. Ymir had added some random spices to the food in hopes of making it unrecognizable, so Levi wouldn't catch on. It was hard to tell what he was thinking when his expression never changed and it was making Christa nervous. Maybe he noticed what Ymir was doing, or maybe he recognized the flavor. It was hard to tell. He only sampled the food, so most of the plate was untouched, as was with everyone else's. When he opened his mouth, Christa swallowed nervously. "I like the contrast in flavors from the sweetness of the plum sauce and the savory taste from the crunchy pork bites. The texture in the rice is interesting too. What I find peculiar though is that there isn't a thing on this dish that hasn't been done by another group. Care to explain?" His question was more directed at Christa, who seemed to be the more easily broken in the group, especially now that she was trembling so nervously. Sasha's mouth was full with some of the unused samples Ymir collected and gave to her.

"Well... you see-" Christa began nervously, searching for the words that would get them in the least amount of trouble but was failing pathetically. "Well, what happened... we-"

"We couldn't decide on what to make so we borrowed some ideas from our neighbors and decided on this little mix-up." Ymir explained calmly. "There's no problem with that right?"

Levi looked up at her suspiciously but then let out a sigh. "I have an idea of what happened here, but since I can't say for certain due to negligence on my part, I won't hold anything to you. However, I will be deducting fifteen points for the mess surrounding your station." He scribbled something on a notepad he carried with him. "That still leaves with a 'B'. Congratulations." He spoke with absolutely no enthusiasm whatsoever.

As he walked away, Christa breathed a sigh of relief and Sasha finally swallowed the food in her mouth, looking at their plate like a predator. Just as she made a move to grab it, Ymir snatched the plate away and downed the rest of the meal.

"That appetite of yours was part of the reason we almost didn't have anything to present." Ymir licked her lips."Don't worry though, I picked up something special for you." Ymir smirked in response to the despair in Sasha's eyes.

"Really!" Sasha squealed.

"Yea, close yer eyes for a second." Ymir spoke with a snicker in her voice. Christa knew that it only meant trouble.

Despite the obvious dangers that came with trusting Ymir like that, Sasha complied without hesitation, sticking out her hands and wiggling her fingers eagerly in anticipation. The freckled girl dug in her bag and pulled out something, but her large hands wrapped around the object so easily, Christa didn't get a chance to see what it was. She watched curiously as Ymir placed whatever it was in the palms of Sasha's hand then immediately closed the girl's fist, continuing to shield the item from Christa's view.

"Okay, that I picked up especially for you." Ymir's smirk grew wider as spoke. Christa wished she could warn her friend that Ymir was up to no-good, but she couldn't exactly pinpoint what Ymir was planning. She could only watch with growing curiosity.

Sasha's eyes shot open the moment she got the okay to do so, but the second that she laid eyes on what Ymir placed in her hands, she teared up. She made to throw the object out of her hand, but seemed to stop at the last second and instead chose to run out the room, carrying whatever it was with her while exclaiming, "That's not funny!" Levi made no move to stop her since the class was basically over anyway and they were just waiting for the bell.

Ymir was nearly rolling on the floor how hard she was laughing.

"What was that?" Christa launched at Ymir accusingly. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" Ymir barely could speak in her mirth. "Here... I brought one for you too!" He stuck whatever it was into Christa's hands.

When Christa realized what it was, she hurled it at Ymir with as much strength as she could muster. "Stop teasing her like that! You know she hates that nickname!"

"Ha! I can't help that Potato-girl's a cannibal!"

~oOo~

"Apologize to her already!"

"Quit pestering me." Ymir growled. "And while you're at it, quit following me too. It's lunch time and I eat _alone_."

"I'm not gonna leave you alone until you apologize to Sasha. You really hurt her feelings."

"I don't care!"

"Then I hope you don't mind company Miss 'I eat alone'. Because I'm not gonna get off your back until you do."

"Whatever." Ymir's pace suddenly quickened into a run. "But you'll have to keep up if you're gonna follow me!"

"No way!" In moments she was already beginning to lose sight of Ymir. The tall brunette seemed to slip through the crowd with ease, barely avoiding collisions with fluid evasions. Christa began running too, embarrassed at the stares she was now getting.

Despite her best efforts, Christa just couldn't catch up and lost Ymir in crowd of bodies. Now, she was just focused on getting out of the mad rush in the halls and finding the nearest exit.

When she was finally able to escape, she found herself wandering around an unfamiliar area. She would've thought she wasn't on campus anymore if it wasn't for the benches set up around the area and the school wall separating her from the outside. It was a heavily forested area and the scenery was gorgeous. Christa was surprised that she was the only student there, despite the fact that it seemed like the ideal place to eat lunch with friends. It would be great if she remembered exactly how she got there, and even better if she could find it again tomorrow. The air was just so fresh out there!

She began taking out her lunch, some leftovers she packed from yesterday's dinner, as she scouted out the perfect area to eat in. As she took a turn around one of the trees her heart nearly stopped. Her breath was caught and she couldn't make a sound as she attempted to back away as quietly as possible. The low hum of growling dogs accented the wild rhythm of her heart thumping in her chest. They seemed distracted by something for the moment, but Christa knew that it might not be long before they caught whiff of Christa's lunch.

Her worst fear was realized.

When one of the three feral dog's neck snapped towards her, his fangs bared threateningly, Christa immediately started running. In seconds, a chase ensued, Christa running faster than she probably ever had before. She dashed at top speed, her ears focused on the rapid patter of dog paws and her legs focused on getting away. Sharp turning, zigzagging through the trees, she did anything she possibly could to get them off her tail. Every so often she would look back, in hopes that they lost interest in the chase and simply left, but she had no such luck. Instead, she would just realize how much closer they were getting.

At one point, it seemed that she turned her head for a little too long and didn't realize the obstacle in front of her. When she felt herself crash, her heart dropped and she thought it was all over until she heard, "The hell, you have a tracker on me or something?"

"Ymir..." she breathed into the taller girl's torso as she clung onto the fabric of Ymir's uniform. "Dogs..."

"Huh?" Ymir's question was soon answered when the dogs slowed down their run as they got into view. "Shit, that's why you were running!?" Christa nodded. She took a few step backs, the little blonde still holding onto her for dear life.

"Scare them away!" Christa cried.

"What do you take me for exactly?" Christa only clung onto her tighter in response. "Fine I'll try, just let go of me already!" She shoved Christa off of her.

While Christa took refuge behind a tree a few steps back from Ymir, the latter was visibly sweating. She took on a kickboxer's stance and tried to look as threatening as possible as she stared down the dogs that were still stalking closer. The dog furthest to the back was the first to lunge at her, jumping with his jaw open and ready to snap. He moved almost too quickly for her to respond in time, but sharp reflexes stepped in as Ymir's leg swung up quick enough to knock the canine across his throat.

When the first dog hit the ground, the other two lunged up at the same time to gang up on Ymir. She managed to desperately shake them off for a few seconds, but it was too difficult to fight them all off effectively, especially so when the first that had attacked her recovered from the kick and joined the fray. Clothes were ripped and a stream of profanities were yelled. Christa felt useless as she watched Ymir get attacked by the dogs that were chasing her.

While Ymir still desperately attempted to fend off the dogs, barely keeping herself up in the attack, she felt herself being pelted by what felt like rocks. In the rock rain, the dogs began to whimper and ceased their attack on Ymir in favor of taking out the source of the airborne attacks, Christa.

When Christa realized that she had become their target once again, she immediately froze up. They didn't bother taking their time now that they were riled up from their fight with Ymir, they immediately started lunging at her. Just before they descended on the paralyzed blonde, Ymir was able to find a thick fallen branch from one of the trees and swung it at the feral canines as hard as she could. The branch snapped as the dogs were all sent crashing back to the ground.

While the dog that absorbed most of the impact from the branch stayed down after the tremendous blow caught him right across the side of his head, the other two shakily rose back to their feet. Before they had any time to attack again, Ymir jumped them, grabbing both dogs from the back of their throat and forcing them to the ground, kicking and snapping at her. She throttled them for awhile before they managed to slip out of her grip.

"Get! Shoo!" She started yelling as she stomped her feet madly. "I said _GET_ goddammit!" She stomped closer to them.

The two ran off, looking back once and running off again when Ymir stomped at them again. When she felt like it was safe, Christa ran out from behind the tree, grabbing onto Ymir's shoulders as said girl slid to the ground covered in scratches and dog saliva.

"I'm so sorry! Because of me you got attacked!" Christa was frantically looking over Ymir's wounds, using napkins she had packed to wipe off the blood. Her eyes caught an especially painful looking wound on Ymir's left hand. "You got bitten too!? This is all my fault!"

Ymir pushed away Christa's nervous hands. "That one's not nearly as bad as this one." She stretched her right arm across Christa's face where a number of puncture wounds dotted across her forearm, the uniform sleeve badly tattered and soaked in blood. "You better hope for your sake they didn't have rabies or some shit like that."

Ymir got up, with Christa's support of course, and the two went to the nearest bench. "Maybe we should take you to see Hanji." Christa suggested innocently.

"Nah, I don't feel like it yet.", was Ymir's stubborn response as she slowly allowed herself to fall back on the bench seat, careful not to hurt anything. "What I wanna know is what you did to get them all riled up like that. They've been wandering around here since early on in the year and they never bothered me like that. They normally don't do anything as long as you avoid eye-contact, calmly keep walking..." Ymir listed the different safety tips. "Oh yea, and as long as you don't... have... You have food, don't you?"

Christa nodded nervously, realizing that she had literally done everything wrong. She pulled out the food that had caught the dogs attention in the first place.

"No fucking wonder they attacked." Ymir pointed out as she grabbed the food from Christa's hand. She removed the plastic wrap that covered the food and made use of a fork Christa packed with it. "I'm taking this as compensation for my injuries, but you still owe me big time."

Christa wasn't the least bit concerned about her lunch being taken away, she wasn't all that hungry anyway, especially since some of her friends shared what they made in Home Economics after class with her. What concerned her was the slightly pained expression Ymir made every time she tried to use her bitten hand and the lack of mobility she seemed to have in the ravaged arm. She took the plate from Ymir, earning a scowl from the freckled girl.

"Let me feed you at least." Christa offered.

"No fucking way, I can feed myself." Ymir defended as she snatched the plate back.

"But it's so pitiful looking..." Christa knew that would catch Ymir's attention.

"Excuse me?" Ymir hissed angrily.

"It's just that...", it was becoming easier for her to make the stubborn bull that is Ymir yield. "I figured that my feeding you wouldn't look nearly as bad as you trying to eat when your arm is trembling and looks almost feeble. You already spilled some of it."

Ymir grumbled and muttered to herself. Eventually, she gave into Christa's reasoning, allowing the girl to retrieve the plate from her grip. "Only because no one's around to see this, tell anyone what happened and you're dead." She narrowed her eyes.

"I won't." Christa smiled as she took up the first fork-full.

"And quit smiling." Ymir grumbled as she chewed over the food. "It's pissing me off."

"You're asking too much." Christa laughed, earning a low growl from Ymir. "And about that thing from this morning-"

"You're still on that?"

"Please!"

Ymir silently accepted a few more fork-fulls of food before she answered Christa again. "Give me one good reason why I should."

"Because if you do, I'll bring lunch for you everyday from now on."

"What makes you think I want that?"

"Because if what I'm thinking is right, since you can't have food out here without the dogs attacking and you said they haven't bothered you, that means you don't carry lunch." Christa deduced.

"But if I do start getting lunch from you that means I can't spend the lunch period out here anymore." Ymir pointed out.

"Then, you have a choice, you can sit out here and listen to your stomach grumble, or you can find someplace else to eat and have a guaranteed meal everyday."

Ymir thought about it for awhile. "Everyday?" Christa nodded enthusiastically. Ymir mulled it over before placing a fist to her head as if she knew she was about to regret her decision. "Fine." Christa nearly jumped for joy at her victory. "Give me your phone."

Christa complied eagerly, unpocketing her cellphone and handing it to Ymir. She watched Ymir fiddle with it. "It took you a week to give me your number!"

"I lasted a week before I couldn't take your constant pestering me about it anymore." Ymir corrected as she tossed Christa back her phone.

The bell rang before Ymir finished the food, so Christa re-wrapped it and placed it in Ymir's bag. Ymir chose to walk on her own this time and guided Christa to a door. Apparently, this area was off-limits for students, as Ymir explained to Christa, and although it was originally going to be another spot for students to use, the project was abandoned and the area is now used by Hanji for research purposes. That door was a back door to Hanji's office. After leaving Ymir in Hanji's care, Christa continued on to homeroom and then to class. Ymir told her not to tell Shadis what happened and as much as she didn't want to, the guilt made her cooperate.

Before she left school for the day, Christa decided to check up on Ymir, but when she arrived to Hanji's office, she found out that Ymir had already gone home for the day. So, disappointed, Christa headed to the bus stop.

~oOo~

"I'm telling you, you should stop associating with her so much."

And so began another one of Reiner's warnings to Christa. He's been giving her similar speeches all week, every afternoon they get home from school.

"She will only get you in trouble. Maybe you don't see it now, but I want you to get out of it before something happens."

"Reiner, please stop. I know how you feel about this, but that's not going to change my mind. I know Ymir's troublesome and I know she gets mixed up in a lot of problems, but I'm still going to talk to her anyway. Maybe she's done something to you, I don't know, but she hasn't done anything for me to hate her yet."

Reiner geared up to argue back, but he suddenly deflated with a sigh. "Fine, I'll stop. But if she pisses you off just let me know and I'll deal with her, okay."

"Okay." Christa rolled her eyes with a giggle.

"I'm serious!" He riled up again, feeling like she was taking his offer lightly.

He calmed down immediately when he felt a small pair of arms wrap around his waist and Christa's body pressed against his, her cheek resting against his chest as she looked up at him with a smile. "I know you're serious. Just trust me."

He couldn't help but smile. "Yea, I'll trust you."


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** _Merry Christmas :D Yes, this is not my usual update time but hey, Why not? It's Christmas after all and this is my gift to my readers (it's not much but hey, the thought must count for something XP ) **Warning**- This chapter is far from having any merriness sadly :'(_

**~oOo~**

Christa stood at the bus stop early this particular morning, determined to leave the house on her own. Since she had moved into the Braun household nearly a year ago Reiner had been doting on her and she was beginning to feel smothered. It only worsened when Christa decided to transfer to St. Rose Academy with him. For the past few weeks she couldn't leave the house without him there and he would always rush after school to catch up to her at the bus stop. Regardless, in the past month she was able to make great friends and she was surprised to find that she fits in pretty well with her homeroom. She didn't have much friends at her old school so this is quite a new experience for her. Up until recently she had been attending a convent school another town over. She had been attending the school since the day she could walk, and remained there up until...

Christa shivered slightly when the cool breeze nipped at her fingertips and nose. Sitting on the old, worn-out bench, she awaited the bus patiently, humming to herself. She had only met Reiner and his father a little over a year ago, when the military held a short training camp one summer for teenagers considering a career as a soldier. Christa, as well as a few others, were but a handful of attendees who weren't currently students at the military's St. Rose Academy. Reiner had been very kind to her then, he's the only person she remembers clearly from the camp since everyone else pretty much ignored her presence, _all thinking I didn't belong there_. Christa blew out some breath at the thought.

The bus slowly made its way up the hill and over to the bus stop. Christa immediately stood and boarded the bus, hugging her small backpack to her chest. As Christa moved down the aisle of the bus, there was a small group of boys eying her up and down. She could feel their eyes scan over every inch of her body and didn't have to guess what they were thinking. She swallowed as she proceeded to the back of the bus, eyes concentrated on the floor. Before she could make it to her seat, one of the boys stood up and grabbed Christa's arm and pulled her towards the group, causing her to drop her bag.

"Hey, why don't you hang with us for a bit?" The boy pushed her into the seat he once occupied. There were three others just like him, whistling and spouting obscenities to her.

Other passengers only turned their heads and the driver pretended not to notice what was going on. Christa was sure she was about to be kidnapped, or worse. Suddenly, the boy that was gripping Christa's arm was sent flying into the other side of the bus, his head making a sickening thud as it crunched the metal. Fortunately for him, the impact was only enough to knock him out with the slight fear of a concussion. After all, it could have been worse.

Christa looked up with widened eyes when she realized who had come to her rescue. The other boys were silenced and made no move to retaliate when they laid eyes on their opponent. Pulling Christa to the back row, her savior sat next to her protectively, glaring at the thugs, daring them to do something about it.

Christa sank in the seat, embarrassed that she had to be saved and especially glad that Reiner wasn't around to see it after his multiple warnings to her not to catch the bus alone.

"Thank you... Annie, was it?"

The blonde girl nodded. "Don't mention it."

"Umm, do you mind not telling Reiner about this?"

Annie raised a brow but decided not to ask about it. Instead she only nodded and returned her attention to the front of the bus.

The ride to school was uncomfortably silent for Christa. She couldn't help but wonder how someone almost as small as her could be so strong and threatening. It was frightening. She wished she could ask about it, but Annie was so quiet, she gave off a 'don't-bug-me-or-else' aura which made any attempt at conversation die on Christa's lips. Nobody in class, save for Reiner and Bertholdt, ever really engaged in conversation with her, and the brave souls that attempted were often given the cold shoulder, brushed off like insignificant specks of dust on her clothes.

The bus couldn't reach the the school any quicker before Christa took her leave, at Annie's side of course, cringing under the feeling of the daggers the guys from earlier were now staring at her.

They were a good way into the school yard before Christa heard her name being called, Annie continuing on without her, deciding that whatever was about to happen had nothing to do with her.

A young man with a short black cut was running towards her. Christa recognized the freckled boy as Marco from her homeroom. He seemed flustered and was gripping something close to his chest.

"Umm, you were calling me Marco?"

The boy blushed at the fact that Christa actually remembered his name despite the fact they never really talked in class. It also made him more nervous. "I... umm... you see I-" Suddenly he bowed, startling Christa slightly. "I'm so sorry!"

"You're sorry? I don't underst-"

"I was on the same bus as you earlier and when those Titans grabbed you I... I didn't do anything about it. I was so scared, too scared to move. If Annie hadn't been there, who knows what would have happened! I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for not doing anything." He was near to tears as he confessed everything.

_So those were the so-called 'Titans' Reiner warned me about._ Christa thought to herself. "It's not your fault Marco-"

"It is! I'm so useless sometimes! The only thing I could do was save your bag when you left it in the bus after you dropped it. Even when I picked it up, passing those guys nearly gave me a heart-attack! But even so, here!" He presented the small pink bag to Christa at the end of his rant.

"Thank you so much!" Christa took the bag and gave the boy a quick hug. "I forgot I dropped this in all the commotion! My notebooks, my cellphone, everything was in here and I would've lost all of it!" When she let him go, Marco's face was almost completely red, but surprisingly Christa didn't notice. The girl seemed too happy to be reunited with her bag to even look at his face.

Christa near skipped toward the main building, but not before saying one last thing to Marco. "Also, I don't think you're useless. You're not the bravest but you're definitely one of the nicest, most sincere guys I've met so far. Everybody has their strengths."

Christa skipped away merrily, leaving Marco smiling so wide he felt like his face might get stuck like that. _She's a real life goddess for sure_. Marco nodded to himself.

Meanwhile, Christa made her way to homeroom. As she pushed the door open, she was surprised to see she was the first one there. Well, it was _really_ early. A little more than an hour before morning attendance. Annie probably decided to kill time elsewhere, and Marco too. _I wonder why they come so early anyway._

Deciding to take advantage of what was about to be a long silence, Christa quickly took her seat and pulled out her chemistry textbook. She wanted to read up on some material before attending Hanji's class. Sometimes the woman's lectures were so confusing or went so off-topic that it was difficult to keep up with her train of thought.

Before Christa could really get into her studying, the door opened slowly, revealing a certain tall brunette, a pair of ear-buds in her ears. "I'm surprised someone actually got here before me." She said flatly, her mind barely registering her surroundings.

"I caught the bus earlier than usual." Christa explained, following Ymir with her eyes as the other girl sluggishly made her way to her seat.

Ymir dropped in her chair with little effort. She seemed tired and Christa noted the dark circles around Ymir's eyes.

"Did you not get much sleep last night?" Christa guessed with concern.

"Mm... no, not really." Ymir's voice was dry and husked over.

"Why not?"

Christa's question was ignored. Instead, Ymir pulled out her cellphone, set her playlist, placed the phone back in her pocket and put her head on the desk, turning away from Christa.

The room was silent again, aside from the ever present low hum of Ymir's music. It wasn't loud enough to make out exactly what it sounded like, only loud enough to realize it was on. After a few minutes, Christa grew curious.

It seemed Ymir had drifted to sleep a few moments before, if the soft snoring was any indication. Eventually her curiosity got the best of her and Christa leaned closer to Ymir. Slowly, she removed a bud from Ymir's ear and pulled it to her own. Immediately, the sweet melody of a sensuous saxophone and the soothing rhythms of a masterfully played piano invaded Christa's head and smoothed over every nerve that once stood on edge. It completely relaxed her. Christa was ready to fall asleep right there and then, stifling a small yawn.

She wasn't sure how long she had been listening to the music before her eyelids became heavy and Christa had to fight back the urge to sleep. It was futile however as Christa's head slowly descended onto her desk and her eyelids rolled themselves down.

~oOo~

_"Historia..." A feeble, hushed voice called gently._

_"Mama?" A small voice called in response._

_"Come here my little angel."_

_Without another word, a small blonde child made her way to her mother's bed. The young woman laid weakly in her bed, her room glimmering with several royalties placed about the walls and sitting atop some of the tall drawers. Slowly the woman's eyes moved off from the empty ceiling and focused on the little girl trembling by her bedside. The little girl seemed to be fighting back tears as the black-haired woman ran her slender fingers through short golden locks._

_"Is your father home yet?"_

_The girl shook her head._

_"I see, that's too bad." The woman's dark brown eyes moved back to the ceiling. "So he's still in the capital..." she spoke breathlessly._

_"Mama..." The girl's voice brought her mother out of her reverie._

_"What is it darling?"_

_"Well, you promised that if I was good, then me, you, and dad could all go to the capital together. I did all my homework by myself, and teacher says I'm doing really good, and I'm helping with all the chores and the cooking too. I even ate all my vegetables for the past two weeks." The girl looked over her mother's thinning body and pale skin. Nobody had to tell her what was happening for her to have some understanding of what was going on. "So get better soon so you can keep your promise okay."_

_"Okay baby."_

_"No!" The girl shocked her mother slightly. Holding up an unsteady fist with an outstretched pinky, the girl looked determined. "I want you to pinky promise me this time."_

_The woman reached for the child's finger, preparing to wrap their pinkies together. At the last second however, she faltered and wrapped her hand around the girl's fist instead, lifting it to her lips and placing a soft kiss on the skin._

_"Mama?" Confused, the girl searched her mother's eyes for an answer but instead noticed something that frightened her down to her very soul. Her mother smiled brightly but weakly at the same time. The girl nearly broke down in tears. "Mama, why won't you pinky promise me? Why mama?" She denied whatever she may have saw in her mother's eyes and looked for some other truth._

_"Because I'm not sure I'll be able to keep it." she answered honestly as much as it pained her to do so._

_"Yes you can, I know you'll get better and we can all go together just once! Please mom, just this once, lie to me if you have to! Just please!"_

_"You're not being a good girl right now." Her mother scolded. Her smile returned easily though and she wiped the tears from her daughter's eyes while the girl continued to sniffle. "Listen. you're strong. No matter how small you are, you're strong. I know you can handle this so I'll ask you to do one more thing for me, okay?"_

_Attempting to stifle her sniffles, the girl nodded._

_"Continue to be a good girl... okay? Continue to be strong and kind, no matter what. That's all I want."_

_Feeling the tears build up again, the child's face contorted as she tried her best to keep them back. All she could manage was another nod._

_The woman lost her fingers in the girl's golden locks again. "Good girl. Remember, I love you no matter what anyone says."_

_"Yes mama."_

_The woman could see how hard the girl was trying to keep the tears in and she smiled even wider. "You can cry and still be strong. So if you want to, you can cry."_

_Immediately, the tears freed themselves and she cried bitterly as her mother pulled her into a slightly frigid embrace. The girl gripped the soft material of her mother's blouse, wiping her seemingly endless stream of tears from her face._

_"My little Historia..."_

~oOo~

"Christa..."

"Mmm..." Christa responded mindlessly, still deep in her slumber.

"Christa, wake up, it's time for first period."

Christa mumbled something incoherently. "Mom?" The word slipped through her lips, her voice slightly cracked. As she shifted between dream and reality, she could feel several light pokes on her cheeks along with the occasional nudge of her shoulders. Hesitantly, her eyes fluttered open, taking some time before she was able to focus on her desk.

"Christa come on! We're gonna be late for Hanji's chemistry class."

After a few moments of concentration, Christa's mind pulled the three images into one as she finally recognized the person that disturbed her sleep. "Sasha?"

Sasha groaned in frustration. "Uhh, we don't have time for this. Come on!" Grabbing the blonde's arm with one hand and her bag in the other, Sasha pulled Christa to her feet and dragged her out of the empty homeroom.

Just as they turned at the threshold and into the hallway, Sasha made for a screeching halt. "Ymir, I didn't know you were out here!" She exclaimed, scratching the back of her head. "You waited for Christa?" Sasha always sensed that there was a special connection between the two, similar to her and Connie, but... _different_? She could never quite come up with an explanation, but it made sense in her head just the way it was.

Ymir scoffed. "I was just tired and decided to rest for a bit before I went to Chem. It just so happens that when I finally built up the energy to go, you two came out the class."

Christa was barely tuned into the conversation, swaying slightly as she stood. If Sasha wasn't holding her arm, there was a good chance she would have fallen already. Ymir looked over Christa's form and smirked.

"Looks like you're still sleeping." she moved closer to Christa.

"Knock it... off." she yawned and weakly swatted at Ymir.

Sasha groaned loudly. "We're gonna be late!" She gripped Christa's wrist tighter and absentmindedly grabbed Ymir's as well as she took off. When she realized what she had done, she didn't have the heart to let go, even though she was deathly afraid of what Ymir would do to her. No, maybe it was that fear that stopped her from letting go; with both free hands, who knows what Ymir would do.

Before anyone had any time to protest the rough treatment, they were already there. They walked into the lab to find all the students standing along the walls while Hanji stood in the middle of the room. Pointing with her eyes, Hanji directed the girls to join the line up. While Ymir made nothing of it, Sasha and Christa nervously joined the line, trying to find an answer in someone's eyes, but nobody seemed to understand what was going on.

When the three reached the end of the line, Hanji smiled and nodded to herself, pulling a paper from her pocket that had been folded multiple times. She cleared her throat. "Okay, I will now begin pairing you up for lab." Hanji shook her head in disappointment at the students' collective groans. "Now now, you have to learn to work together. When I let you pick your own partners, you guys just ended up pairing up with your friends. No way I'll allow that, I want to encourage cooperation among your fellow man, whether it's a total stranger or your worst enemy." Pausing to look over the students' already exhausted faces, Hanji began calling out pairings from her list. "Mikasa Ackerman, Annie Leonhardt, station one."

The two girls glared at each other from their places on the wall, but both made their way to their assigned station regardless.

Christa quickly lost interest in the names being called off, still slightly dazed from her nap in homeroom this morning. By the time she came to once more, she found that there were only two students still against the wall, her and... Ymir. Ymir had already begun making her way towards the last available station. Christa decided to follow suit, feeling slightly more energized than when she arrived.

Christa hadn't even sat in her seat properly when Ymir decided to remark about this morning. "Had a nice dream Sleeping Beauty?" The girl grinned, her head resting comfortably on her folded arms, her eyes still tired looking.

"You're so funny." Christa rolled her eyes. "I was surprised though, I thought you'd be listening to some kind of heavy metal or some kind of head-banging nonsense."

Ymir laughed. "Who falls asleep to 'head-banging nonsense' anyway?"

"I thought you would." Christa blushed slightly, realizing how stupid the phrase sounded.

"I only listen to metal when I feel like fucking shit up." Ymir grinned.

"So every other time then."

Before Christa could react, Ymir grabbed her cheek and nearly pulled her out of her seat. "Cheeky lil' bastard aren't ya?"

"Ymirrr!" Christa slurred, her cheek feeling like it was about to peel right off of her face. "Shtop it, it hurtsh."

By the time Ymir let her go, her cheek stung and it looked like an apple how red and swollen it had become. Christa rubbed her injury and glared at Ymir with tears stubbornly lining her eyes. Ymir struggled to contain her laughter, but a small chuckle would escape every few seconds.

As Hanji passionately began to explain their first experiment, Christa pointedly decided to ignore Ymir, pouting as she took notes. Meanwhile, Ymir toyed around with test tubes and beakers, nearly dropping a bottle of some unmarked chemical. When she looked up from their table to meet Christa's narrowed eyes, she put everything back in its place and pouted as she rested her head in her arms.

Suddenly, just as Hanji was nearly finished explaining all the steps, she was called to Principal Smith's office from over the PA system. She warned the students not to start anything until she returned then left the class, near jogging.

Christa and Ymir looked at each other in an awkward silence before Christa decided to break it. "So Ymir-"

"So Christa." Ymir mocked her, half-amused.

Christa rolled her eyes but couldn't help but let a little smile peek through. "You hang out in Hanji's office pretty often and help with experiments and stuff right? How's that?"

"Okay I guess." she answered flatly, pouring water into a test tube and swirling it around, imitating some mad scientist from television. Then, suddenly grinning, she added, "One thing I do have to say though, I never know what to expect. The only thing certain is that by the end of the day, I would have blown shit up at least one time."

"You're so violent."

"And you're so damn innocent." Ymir commented as she ruffled up Christa's hair earning a pout from the small blonde. "I hope I don't get infected with that."

"There's nothing wrong with being nice. If you tried it sometime maybe you'd have a few more friends. Come to think of it..." Christa leaned in close to Ymir, causing Ymir to sit up totally straight in her chair as the shorter girl looked up into her eyes. "Do you have any friends Ymir? For the past month I've been coming here it seems like everyone's been avoiding you."

Ymir's face turned bored and unreadable again. "I'm sure you've gotten at least one warning about me by now."

Christa bit her lip. "Yea, but I prefer not to take gossip seriously. I want to find out more about you, and who better to hear it from than you. If I don't like you or think you're bad company, I'll decide that on my own."

"Let me let you in on a little secret." Ymir returned the girl's curious stare with a steely gaze. "I'm someone people don't have to make up rumors about. They get enough juicy detail to chat about just from the shit I do on impulse. Be it fighting, vandalism, or scandal, chances are what you hear about me, is actually true."

Christa silenced herself, taken aback by Ymir's sudden change in mood. The glare Ymir gave her wasn't what she was used to and it chilled her down to her bone. Because of it, Christa couldn't bring herself to start conversation with Ymir again. Even after Hanji returned and the experiments got underway, they completed the lab assignment without one word to each other. Ymir kept the same bored expression the whole time, even when Annie and Mikasa almost fought and Hanji had to get between them.

Christa was impacted for the whole day herself. She ate quietly when her friends were chatting at lunch, giving nods and offering the occasional forced chuckle. When she passed Ymir the lunch for the day, she did so wordlessly. Even when she got on the bus to go home that evening, and Reiner reprimanded her for not only leaving him behind that morning, but for falling asleep in morning homeroom, linking the two matters to each other claiming that she got up far too early.

When the two arrived home, Mr. Braun's jeep was missing, suggesting he was probably still at work. Christa began preparing dinner while Reiner opted to shower. He suddenly broke out in a sweat when Christa tied her hair back and put on an apron to start cooking, so he didn't waste any time getting to the bathroom. By the time he was finished, dinner was done and Christa already started eating, her hair back down as usual.

When the two were almost finished eating, they heard the familiar jingle of keys at the door and Christa quickly ran to the kitchen to get Mr. Braun's plate that she took up and covered.

When the middle-aged man walked in, he looked tired. He dragged his feet as he entered and noticing the extra plate of food, obviously placed there for him, he plopped himself into the seat and took in a mouthful of rice. He left the door open purposely, leaving the other two occupants to wonder why. After the man finished what was in his mouth, he turned in his chair and looked out the door.

"You coming in or what?"

Slowly a tall figure slugged its way through the door. The sight made both Christa and Reiner's eyes widen, only difference was that Reiner's was quickly replaced with a scowl.

"Evenin- aww shit. Great, it just had to be you two." Ymir rolled her eyes as she invited herself in, returning Reiner's scowl as soon as she noticed it. She was dressed in casual clothing, a short sleeved grey button-down and black trousers.

"What are you doing here?" Reiner interrogated, approaching Ymir threateningly, nearly forgetting about his father's presence.

"She's my new assignment," Mr. Braun answered nonchalantly. "-but you two already seem to know each other so I won't bother with introductions. Basically, she'll be stopping by every so often and it's my job to monitor her behavior and all that other official crap. Same as all the others before."

Reiner grit his teeth, wishing he could deck Ymir one right now, but his father would never let it happen. He had turned to look at Christa, but the girl's attention seemed to be stuck on Ymir. When Ymir's golden-brown eyes met with Christa's blue orbs, the two locked eyes for what seemed like ages before they broke it.

"There's some more food if you'd like some." Christa offered, already heading towards the kitchen.

Ymir only gave an approving grunt as she stole a seat at the table, making herself comfortable despite the look of pure rage Reiner was giving her. Christa quickly emerged with a plate of food.

Christa bit her lip when she noticed the scars along Ymir's arm, having forgotten about that episode with the dogs a few weeks back. Ymir's hand had healed quickly, but the wounds on her arm took a little more time. During school, her arm was usually covered by the sleeve of her jacket, so now seeing the marks only made Christa feel uneasy and guilty about not only that day, but the way she acted today.

As she offered Ymir the morsels, she felt even worst when she realized just how little it was. "It isn't much-"

"It's enough." Ymir ate slowly, attempting to trick her stomach into thinking it was more than it actually was, mentally noting how good it tasted but not offering a word of compliment to the chef. She didn't want to accidentally swell up Reiner's head in case it was him. It had a similar feel to it as the lunches Christa had been bringing her after their little agreement, but still, better safe than sorry.

Mr. Braun had moved over to the living room, leaning against the arm of the sofa as he watched the news from his seat. Reiner left the room, deciding to barricade himself in his room until Ymir was long gone. The only ones left at the dining table were Christa and Ymir, mainly because Christa would feel bad if she left their guest all alone.

When Ymir finished, Christa immediately scooped up the plate and took it into the kitchen to wash. Ymir followed behind her.

Watching her wash the dishes from a fretfully close spot, Ymir silently looked over Christa. Although she didn't look up and showed no signs of noticing, Christa was sweating, already aware of Ymir's presence.

"About earlier... at school... I'm sorry about what I said. Or at least, what I may have suggested." the blonde apologized, still focusing on her dishes, though slowing down her pace slightly in anticipation for Ymir's response.

"It's no big deal." Ymir shrugged.

"If it's possible, I hope we can be friends."

"No thank you."

Christa eyes shot up at Ymir's answer, "But-"

"Ymir." Mr. Braun called out to her from the living room. "It's about that time. Time to get you home."

Ymir left without hearing what Christa had to say, following Mr. Braun to his jeep. All that could be heard was the engine as it kicked up and the car pulled out of the driveway. Christa watched from the window until the jeep was completely out of her sights.


	7. Chapter 7

"What the fuck's your problem!"

Christa was caught in the middle of yet another argument between Reiner and Ymir. It was only the second day since Ymir was put on probation under Mr. Braun's watch, and for the past two days nonstop, Ymir and Reiner were down each other's throats and sadly, Christa is always caught in the middle.

"You meant to do it!" Reiner slammed one palm onto her desk and pointed a finger in Ymir's face which she was quick to slap away.

"I did not! Your wide-load just takes up too much damn space, it's hard for the rest of us to move! Do us a favor and lose a few, wide ass!"

Bertholdt, the usual voice of reason and the only one willing to get between the two when they were fuming, was currently missing in action. That meant when the two gripped each other and cocked back to punch each other, everybody thought there would be no stopping them.

Suddenly, two loud crashes echoed through the class and hall, all the students of Room 104 left stunned, especially Christa. Annie stood at her full height, observing the damage she had done. Reiner had been sent sailing across the floor into the cupboards that sat not too far from the last row, meanwhile Ymir was sent flying and knocked into Christa's desk, taking the whole thing down with her. Annie nodded, apparently pleased with her work, though her expression didn't show it.

Without a word, Annie returned to her desk and continued reading a book she had been enjoying before the ordeal.

Although Ymir was the first to recover, Reiner was the first to stand up, holding his head even though his whole body ached. Ymir sat up from her position but refused to get up yet. Instead, she and Reiner held a glaring contest as the boy limped past her in an attempt to get to his seat. When he was fully sat, Reiner seemed to be complaining to Annie while the girl pointedly ignored him.

When Ymir decided it was okay, she got up and dusted her uniform as if nothing happened at all. She turned and picked up the fallen desk beside her, fixing it back to its original position. After, she gathered all the scattered paper that fell from the desk and threw them haphazardly back on the desk top. Christa watched the entire gesture, still too shocked to move or say anything. When all the papers were back on Christa's desk, Ymir simply stood there with a hand still lingering on Christa's desk, staring at her.

By the time everything was finished registering in Christa's mind, she looked up to meet Ymir's blank expression, confused at why the taller girl was looking at her so intensely. She shifted slightly, a bit frightened. "Umm... thank you..." Christa spoke quietly under her breath.

"No problem." Ymir's response was equally as quiet, but she still stood there, staring.

Christa's face began to blush over despite how hard she fought mentally to stop it. Under Ymir's intense gaze, she felt strange. This wasn't the first time Ymir gave her that kind of look, she's done it a few times recently and Christa still has absolutely no idea what it means. That mysterious look. For just about as long as she and Reiner had been fighting, Ymir had been doing this every time she and Christa met eyes.

A few silent, awkward moments went by before Shadis entered the room to begin afternoon roll call. "Ymir, sit down!"

Surprisingly Ymir had no response and simply followed order without even a comment. Even Keith didn't expect it, and it showed slightly on his face. Ymir just sat down in her seat and assumed her usual position of staring blankly out the window. Shadis regained composure after clearing his throat, beginning the roll call.

Ymir and Christa haven't talked much since that day either. Christa's attention was usually either occupied by Sasha or Connie or sometimes even Eren and friends, that's of course, if Reiner and Ymir weren't fighting the next desk over. It wasn't like Christa hadn't attempted conversation, it's more that Ymir completely shut her out. _Just when I thought we were making progress too._ Christa sighed.

The blonde looked over at Ymir, wondering if her comment made Ymir that upset or if there was possibly something else. She may have been loud, obnoxious, and an all-around bully, but it's not like it was unwelcomed. In fact, even though she would never admit it to her, Christa enjoyed Ymir's 'interesting' personality. Ymir's sudden quietness was depressing for her, and even though she attempted to uplift her spirits through lively conversations with her other classmates, it was never quite enough to replace the few conversations she and Ymir had.

Christa nearly missed her own name mulling over her thoughts, but responded when Shadis repeated it the second time, shouting this time. Well, shouting louder this time. She fumbled a bit in her seat and her voice cracked when she answered, and so, in embarrassment, she laid her head on the desk.

Christa turned her head, fully expecting to see Ymir stifling a laugh at her expense, but there was nothing. Nothing. Not even a single chuckle. She seemed so detached from everyone and everything around her.

When Ymir's name was called, she responded with a loud, dejected grunt. Keith grumbled to himself, but ticked her name off regardless. "I rather that than your wise-ass comments."

Ymir only huffed and Shadis dismissed them just in time for the bell to ring. As usual, Ymir was the first one out.

Literature would be their last class of the day with Auruo Bossard. It was an inevitable fact that halfway through the lesson, Auruo would bite his tongue and be forced to visit Hanji's office, leaving the students to chat idly for the rest of the class period. Christa decided that she would use that time to talk to Ymir and fix whatever it was that went wrong.

Sadly, Christa was afforded no such luck. The first thing she noticed as she walked into class was that Dazz was in Ymir's usual seat, the one directly behind Christa's, and he was shaking uncontrollably. Meanwhile, Ymir sat a good distance away from Christa, boredly leaning back in her chair, balancing a pencil between her upper lip and nose.

"Why aren't you in your usual seat?" Christa asked him as she slid into her chair, even though she was already pretty sure of the answer.

"Ymir-", he whimpered as he pointed his head toward said girl, too terrified to look directly at her. "She was sitting there when I got here."

"You didn't ask her to move?" Christa noticed Ymir suddenly glance over at her, if only for a quick second, before returning her gaze to the ceiling.

Dazz's eyes widened and his face shown of absolute horror as he shook his head so hard, Christa thought it might fall off his shoulders. "Impossible. Unthinkable. I'd rather sit right here where it's safe."

Christa raised a brow. "I doubt it would be that bad. It's just a seat you know."

"Exactly, it's just a seat." He agreed. "Nothing worth risking my life over."

Realizing that this conversation was going nowhere, Christa sighed and turned her attention to the front of the class where Mr. Bossard, as he demanded to be addressed, had just arrived._ I'll just ambush her when he goes to Hanji's office. _So Christa waited, while Connie, her desk neighbor, distracted her at times with his excited chatter over the upcoming athletics festival set to take place in about two weeks. Still, Christa remained primarily focused on her objective, barely taking in anything Connie said.

Again, luck never seemed to be on Christa's side when she most wanted it to. By some miracle, Auruo spent the entire class period talking, and never once bit his tongue, not even a little nip. This was partly due to the fact that he took his time, for the first time ever, as he formed his words and addressed the class. He wore a triumphant smirk that day when the bell rang and he dismissed the class for the day.

After all that though, Christa was determined. She tried to beat Ymir to the door but, despite the fact that she was closer to the door, she couldn't get there before Ymir. Still, she was determined and she followed Ymir. Even when she lost sight of the taller girl, she continued her search. For some reason, Ymir had been heading in the opposite direction from the school gate, so Christa doubted that Ymir had left.

After her last experience with following Ymir, Christa was careful not to go through any strange hallways and out any doors if she wasn't sure where they led. She stumbled upon the staircase that led to the roof and felt compelled, for some inexplicable reason, to go there. So, she climbed the dark staircase, gripping the guardrails tighter and tighter as the ball in her chest sank deep into her stomach. When she finally reached the large rusted double doors, it took all her strength to force them open.

Christa took in a breath as she laid eyes on the scene in front of her. She could see over the roofs of most of the town and the sky looked absolutely gorgeous. She had to admit, following Ymir so far has led her to some of the most beautiful places.

"Just gonna stand there and stare or what?" Ymir called from her spot against the wall, right beside the door. "You never give up do you? Now you're stalking me." Ymir near chuckled.

"I'm not stalking you!" Christa defended. "I wanted to talk to you. You gave me your number but you never respond to my texts and the one time you answered my call, you hung up immediately and never picked up again-"

"That's because I only had to answer once to know what number to ignore." Ymir commented, not bothering to look at the blonde.

"This is exactly what I'm talking about!" Christa grabbed Ymir's arm, upset with the brunette's lack of eye contact. She wanted Ymir to see her face and know that she was serious. "Why are you ignoring me? I thought we were getting along pretty well and then you start pulling a stunt like this. Did I say something that bad?"

Ymir's uninterested expression remained. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I know you do. Just give me an honest answer Ymir."

Ymir laughed, more to herself than at Christa, but it offended the little blonde nonetheless. "Since when do I have to answer to you?", she challenged.

"Just tell me or... or I'll... I'll..." Christa stumbled as she realized what she was about to say, her voice weakening.

"Or what, you gonna give me a bad report and get me kicked out?" Ymir guessed the words Christa bit back.

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to." Ymir snorted when she saw the guilty look on Christa's face. "I guessed right then?"

"Ymir-"

"Save it." Ymir yanked her arm out of Christa's feeble grip. She looked down at Christa for a few moments, completely void of all emotions. Eventually, Christa couldn't take staring back into Ymir's eyes and so she averted her gaze to the floor. "Truth is, I got bored with you."

Christa's eyes shot up when Ymir decided to answer her. "Bored... with me? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. I thought you were amusing in the beginning but now you're just plain fucking annoying. So do me a favor and stop bugging me so damn much." Christa looked up at her, eyes wide as they could get. "Don't bother me anymore, get it?"

Christa looked down at the floor again, blinking back a few stubborn tears that tried to come out. Slowly, she nodded, though she bit her lip to the point that she drew blood. Why was she so upset about this? Christa wasn't sure. She just felt horrible. It's not like she hadn't heard crueler, been rejected harsher, but this hurt more than all the others.

"Good." Ymir spat. "Now you- Hey!"

Ymir reached out but failed in an attempt to stop Christa as the girl ran through the door and back down the stairs. She slipped right out of Ymir's fingers in her getaway.

It's been almost an hour since school ended, there would be just one more bus passing through the route. Christa rushed straight to the bus stop, praying that she hadn't missed the last bus.

Christa sat on the bench impatiently, agonizing moments crawling by like hours. Her head felt like it was burning up, but she was slowly beginning to calm down. Soon, she heard an engine approaching her, wheels crunching rubble beneath it. It didn't sound like the bus though, and it moved too fast to be the old jitney anyway. Christa ignored the vehicle until it started to slow down in its approach and she recognized the black jeep that pulled up in front of her. She swallowed a breath subconsciously.

"Christa!" Reiner exclaimed as he near jumped out the passenger's seat and ran towards her, pulling her into a large embrace. "I was worried when I went home and you weren't there. I thought something happened on the bus ride home or something."

"Reiner, it's okay! I'm okay!" She laughed despite herself as the large boy squeezed her just a little too tightly. "I can't breath though!" She squeaked jokingly.

Reiner immediately released his grip, blushing in embarrassment though still supporting an ear-to-ear grin. "Sorry 'bout that!" He apologized, patting her shoulders.

"No problem!" Christa managed a genuine smile. Her eyes accidentally locked with Mr. Braun's steely gaze as he looked at the two, unimpressed. Mr. Braun sounded his horn to remind Reiner he wasn't exactly the most patient. "I think we should get going." Christa spoke softly, feeling a little disturbed by the look Mr. Braun sent her.

"Right..." Reiner simmered down when he noticed Christa's unease. "We'll talk about this at home." He opened the car door for Christa and when she was safely in the back seat, went around to his own seat and buckled in.

The jeep pulled off before anyone could notice a panting Ymir standing by the school gate, glaring at them. Ymir leaned against the school wall and clicked her tongue before turning and heading back to the school.

~oOo~

When the three arrived to the Braun household, Mr. Braun threw his keys on the table and tossed himself into the chair with a huff, turning on the television. Meanwhile, Christa and Reiner stalked up the stairs and into Christa's room. Christa sat on her bed while Reiner chose to stand by the door. He rarely comes up to Christa's room.

"What held you up today?" Reiner spoke in a serious tone.

"Nothing important. I just... I just did, I guess." Christa didn't look at him as she spoke.

"That's not true, what aren't you telling me?" Christa was shocked that she got found out so easily. Was she that terrible of a liar? Reiner sighed as he took in Christa's silence. "I'm sorry Christa, I'm trying hard to just trust you not to get hurt, but the fact that you seem so interested in Ymir... I can't help but be concerned. When I came home and you weren't here... and I waited and you didn't come... I didn't know what to do, so I called dad at work-"

"You didn't have to do that." Christa breathed, finally understanding the reason for that look Mr. Braun gave her earlier. She shuddered slightly.

"What was I supposed to do!? You weren't answering your phone and I thought something happened!"

"My phone? But it didn't ring." Christa pulled out her phone and inspected it, Reiner watching curiously. Slowly she placed the phone to her forehead. "I forgot to charge it last night.", was all she offered in excuse. "Okay, it was my fault, it won't happen again."

Reiner cracked a smile. "Well, as long as it won't happen again. Promise?"

Christa nodded and giggled. "It feels like we've been making quite a few promises recently, huh Reiner!"

Reiner blushed over, completely flustered. "Ye- Yeah." Was all he could manage in response. "Anyway, I-"

Reiner was interrupted when the door swung open and Mr. Braun slid through. He stopped when he felt a push on the other side of the door, Reiner putting his hands out defensively to prevent being hit by the door. "Oh Reiner, you were in here." Mr. Braun offered no words of apology. "Give us a minute, I need to talk to Christa." The sound of his words caused Christa's stomach to turn uncomfortably.

Reiner was hesitant but he didn't want to outright disobey his father, so he left, begrudgingly of course. The last thing he caught before his exit was the look in Christa's eyes as he closed the door behind him. It was difficult for him to swallow.

The air was now filled with a thick tenseness. Christa suddenly found it difficult to breath. It was silent.

"Where were you today?" Mr. Braun spoke in a low growl. "You better have a damn good excuse to make up for me having to leave work."

Christa didn't say anything. No, it was more like she couldn't say anything. She couldn't think and she couldn't speak.

"Answer me when I'm fucking talking to you!" He barked. He pulled her up by her hair, eliciting a whimper from the small girl. He looked into her pained face angrily. "You realize what it would look like on me if something happened to you!"

"I'm sorry, I swear it won't happen again!" Christa cried out, her voice grating her throat.

"I know it won't. You're smarter than that." Mr. Braun released her golden locks and planted a heavy fist into her left shoulder, Christa holding in a yelp. He looked over her pitiful form as she held her injured shoulder and avoided looking at him, her face a mix of frustration and sadness. He breathed a few angry breaths, then wiped his hand over his face. In a minute, he left, mumbling something about needing a smoke.

When she was sure it was all over, she did as she usually would and balled up in her bed after kicking off her shoes. She let her body cry itself into utter exhaustion and fell asleep, fully prepared to face tomorrow and erase the memories of today from her thoughts.

~oOo~

"I'm telling you it's gonna be awesome!" Connie exclaimed excitedly.

Christa rolled her eyes with a smile as she walked to homeroom the following morning, accompanied by Sasha and Connie, who she ran into almost immediately after coming off the bus with Reiner and was subsequently stolen away from the blond boy.

"Sounds like too much work." Sasha waved off the idea.

"They bring food and drinks for the athletes ya know." Connie slipped into his rant slyly.

"Really?" Sasha immediately drooled over. "Tell me more."

Connie couldn't stop talking about the athletics festival after the announcement yesterday, and he's still talking about it! What drew him to the school was the fact that its was so renowned in the high school sports arena. While it's true they took significant defeats in the past, the Scouts have been pulling some amazing victories recently and boast about having the top individual athletes in the region.

"Mmm, I'll probably participate if there's some kind of eating contest." Sasha thought about it. "I wouldn't even mind not winning."

Christa giggled. "Talking about it won't make it come faster you know."

"I know, but I can't help it!" Connie laughed. "Time to show-off and see which of these so-called athletes can compare to me."

Sasha ignored Connie's moment of arrogance and focused on Christa instead. "Are you planning to participate in anything Christa?"

"Umm, I haven't really thought about it yet." Christa placed a finger thoughtfully to her chin. "I'm not even sure if I'll attend." She answered truthfully.

At the sound of this Connie immediately stopped. "But you gatta come." He said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Connie's right for once. It's more fun if we all go together." Sasha nodded.

They were right in front of the door for homeroom when Sasha's words suddenly sparked an idea in Christa's head. She grabbed Sasha's hands happily and swung them around. "Why didn't I think of that before!?"

Leaving Sasha and Connie dumbstruck, she practically flew through the door and straight to Ymir's desk, smiling down at the now annoyed brunette.

"The fuck do you want now?" Ymir sneered.

_I won't let your bad attitude deter me this time Ymir!_ Christa nodded her head, determined. "You're taking me to the athletics festival." Christa told her. Then, she grabbed Ymir's wrist and tugged her out the classroom, causing mass confusion.

Ymir allowed herself to be dragged, curious about what Christa had planned this time. They weren't too far from the class when Christa stopped. She couldn't pull them too far because if Shadis showed up and started roll call before they got back, there would be no getting back in anymore.

"Well..." Ymir urged Christa to explain herself.

"Well what? I figured I was pretty clear."

"Don't be a smart ass with me." Ymir flicked Christa on the forehead, earning a squeak from her. "What makes you think I'm gonna take you anywhere?"

"Just because." Christa shrugged. "Do you need a reason?"

"In this case I do."

Christa sighed. "Well how about we help each other out?", she suggested. Ymir hummed lowly, showing she was interested in where this was going. "Principal Smith thinks I should participate in school events and you need to look good in his eyes if you want to stay in school because when it's time to give my first report, he specifically requested solid reasoning. I can say all the nice things I want, but if you don't actually do anything, his answer's still gonna be the same."

"You're drifting, get to the point."

Christa sighed, certain that her point was obvious. "My point is, you take me to the athletics festival and I'll have something good to report to Principal Smith. " Christa winked.

Ymir crossed her arms over her chest. "Why do I feel like you've been hanging this thing over my head a bit too much.", she accused.

"No, it's really not like that!" Christa defended. "Think of it more like...", she searched her mind for something to compare this to. "Oh! Like walking under a storm cloud, and I'm your umbrella. I can only protect you from the rain if you do your part and hold me up. But every so often, a few stray raindrops might get in, but that's only a reminder of why you're holding the umbrella in the first place, because it's the only thing shielding you from the rain." The whole time, Christa had been using her hands to sort of act out exactly what she was trying to say.

Ymir only laughed. "That analogy was dumb as fuck! You read too many books!" Ymir could barely contain herself. "But I like it. You know why?" Ymir wiped a tear from her eye from laughing too hard.

"Why?" Christa was a little upset about the disrespect Ymir showed her ad lib piece of literature.

"Because if you're my umbrella, that means I can just put you away when I'm done with you, and that's exactly what I plan on doing."

Ymir's words stung a bit, but Christa didn't let them throw her off. "So, deal?"

Ymir actually thought about it for a few moments. "On one condition."

"Condition?"

"Yea. You have to make sure I don't get bored, got it? In other words, keep me entertained."

Christa nodded, feeling accomplished. "Deal then!"

Just as they finished talking and they looked down the hall, they could definitely see Keith approaching. Knowing exactly what that meant, the two made an effort to get back to the room before he arrived. Well, Christa put in the effort while Ymir dragged her feet.

When Keith got into the class, he didn't say a word to them before he began to give roll call. He was definitely steamed when he went over the last name and got another one of Ymir's little comments, this time in the form of a complaint about being blinded by the sunlight reflecting off of his head. Christa laughed while Ymir shot her an amused smirk.

**~oOo~**

**Author's Note:** _Another sort of rushed job, I knew I had a bit of work to do on this, but I didn't expect it to take this long and that's why I started so late (That, and I'm a serious procrastinator. Anyway, I probably won't be updating for the New Year's and even if I do, it would probably come late. However, what may happen is the release of a little one-shot idea that's been floating around my head for awhile. I'm done with my rant now, BYE! :3_


	8. Chapter 8

"Listen up! As all you shit-rags know, the athletics festival is well on its way. As such, I will take the next two Physical Ed classes to assess your skills and choose our homeroom's representatives." Shadis paced back and forth as he lectured his students.

There was an unusual wave of energy over the class, one that made Christa feel a bit uneasy. She was standing next to Ymir who was exuding the same energy as the other students, surprisingly hanging on to every word Keith said with anticipation. She jabbed the taller girl in the side.

"Ow, the fuck Christa?" Ymir hissed discreetly as not to attract Keith's attention.

"Sorry."

"Well, what is it?" Ymir returned her attention to Keith but still offered a listening ear to Christa.

"Is it me or does the entire class, including you, seem extra intense right now."

Ymir's head snapped to look down at Christa incredulously. "You mean you don't know?" Christa shook her head. "Well, I guess I should expect that from a new kid, but even so, your friends look like they got the idea already." Ymir pointed over to Connie and Sasha, Connie wearing an unmistakable grin of excitement and Sasha surprisingly paying full attention to Keith. Christa still didn't understand though, and Ymir could see that. She sighed and placed a hand on Christa's shoulder, sending a wink at her. "You're about to see the true nature of class 104."

Keith cleared his throat aloud, apparently having caught Ymir's conversation. Ymir stood back at attention but was still grinning.

"Now then, as I was saying, today I will be recording times for the sprints. With whatever time is left, I will test all those interested in the field events. Students who will endure the long distance races will get their chance during next week's class. _Every _student _must _try out. _No exceptions_. Any questions?" Keith looked around for a moment, the energy becoming even more tense around him. He grinned a sinister grin. "Good. Now then, class ranks are officially reset."

Christa jabbed Ymir again and, after receiving an irritated glare from the other girl, echoed, "Class ranks?"

"Shh."

Christa was surprised Ymir shushed her, but when she opened her mouth to protest it, Keith's voice easily overpowered hers.

"When your name is called make your way to the track! Until your name is called, plant your ass in the grass and shut up!" Keith waited until all the students were sat in the grass. Eren, Mikasa, and Armin gathered next to Christa, ignoring the look Ymir shot them. "In no particular order, I will have you race in pairs to save time. We will begin with Annie Leonhardt and Armin Arlert."

Armin immediately looked over at Annie who showed no concern whatsoever. She only stood silently and began to make her way to the track. Eren snickered as Armin followed Annie's lead and stood.

"Don't get slaughtered too bad out there." Eren caught his friend's hand with a grin.

Armin walked to the track like he was walking to his death, Annie already down and in the ready position. Eventually, Armin joined Annie in the starting position, sweating slightly. He looked over at Annie with a shaky smile. "You mind taking it easy on me?" He laughed nervously, unsure of how the blonde would respond.

Annie looked over at him stoically. She didn't say a word. Returning her gaze to the paved track, she let out a breath. Armin was concerned at what that meant, but noticed that Keith was already in position to start the race, so he didn't bother asking her.

"Right now I'll be taking two individual times for each runner, one will be taken half way around at the 200 meters mark and another after a full lap, 400 meters around." Keith explained with his stopwatch in hand.

On Shadis' call, the two shifted, and when the shot was sounded Annie immediately lifted off, Armin starting about a second or two behind, stumbling slightly. The gap between them was clear and gradually grew wider. By the time Annie was finished, achieving times of 24.16 and 56.40 and waiting near the finish, Armin had only recently passed the 200 meter mark, receiving a time of 53.39. Shadis grumbled to himself as Armin continued to struggle along the track, watching the boy pick himself up as he approached the finish but fell for the second time since he started running. Keith didn't bother to record Armin's finish time, much to the boy's dismay, making it clear that he didn't want the blond boy to touch the track for any athletic race.

As Armin skulked back over to his friends, Eren gave him a sympathetic pat on the back and offered a smile. Meanwhile, Mikasa's focus was on Annie as she passed the group. Mikasa stood when Annie was just two steps away from her and looked at her through narrowed eyes. "You slowed down during the last few meters.", she accused.

Annie looked at her, unimpressed. She sighed as if she felt like she was about to waste breath. "It was a pointless run.", was her excuse, speaking as though it was totally obvious. "Why waste precious energy on something pointless?" Annie turned and walked away, not giving a single care for the dirty look Mikasa gave her. She returned to her seat with Reiner and Bertholdt, the latter welcoming her back with a smile while Reiner scolded her for the same thing Mikasa pointed out. It was obvious she tuned Reiner out though.

Christa couldn't help but notice the interaction between the two, but when she turned to Ymir to ask about it, Armin already began explaining it to her. "Don't mind those two, they're always competing, but Annie never likes to put much effort into anything and it really makes Mikasa angry." Armin felt his stomach flip when Mikasa glared over at him, causing him to almost regret opening his mouth.

Eren never seemed to notice such things though, mainly because such looks were never directed at him. "Of course, she has the right to be mad. I'd be pissed too if my rival didn't give it their all, it's like you're being made fun of.", he tightened his fist in frustration.

"Is that how it is? I don't think Annie was trying to make fun of Mikasa though." Christa placed a finger on her chin thoughtfully. When she realized how the others were looking at her she became a bit frantic to explain her point. "What I mean is that, while I admit she noticeably slowed down, she only did so when Armin fell down the first time."

Eren's eyes widened and he immediately turned to Armin. "Is that really true?"

"Well, I was down at the time, plus I wasn't really looking at Annie, I was more focused on my own running the whole time." Armin scratched his head with a small chuckle. "I didn't even realize she slowed down. But I admit I was surprised she was still on the track when I got up."

Eren looked over at Mikasa for an answer but the girl looked off to the side, her eyebrows furrowed. Eventually Eren gave up and decided to take Christa's word for it. He honestly didn't notice that at all and was impressed at Christa's observation skills.

Christa smiled. "Yea, maybe she was making sure that Armin was okay." Armin blushed over slightly.

Suddenly, Christa felt a heavy palm rest on her head and ruffle up her hair. She turned to pout at Ymir, who was grinning at her mischievously. "You only ever see the good in people don't you shorty? Not everyone's as sweet as your eyes make them out to be."

"And not everyone's as bitter as you make them out to be."

Ymir snorted as she laughed at Christa's comeback, earning a small shove from the shorter girl.

Shadis called off the next pair, Mina and Hannah. Christa hadn't talked to those two much, so she didn't bother to watch them. Instead, she took the time to chat with Ymir and hopefully improve their relationship before the athletics festival. Maybe she could even learn a few of Ymir's likes and dislikes.

"Still though, Annie is amazingly fast." Christa marveled, hoping to spark conversation. "If she was holding back, I'd love to see her actually putting her heart into it."

"That's the school's number two for you." Ymir breathed, somewhat bored with the topic already.

"Oh yea, I was supposed to ask about that. What's with that class ranking thing Keith mentioned?"

"Well, this is a military run school, so rankings aren't solely based on academics here. We're ranked according to the amount of points we rack up over the school year, and points are earned by participating in the different school events." Ymir explained, fidgeting and taking breaths in between as if it was too much of a bother to say. "Our class has always held the top ranks. That's why this homeroom is so special and also why I wonder how you got mixed up here."

"Hey!" Christa was offended. "I have you know I was the fastest in my class at my old school."

Ymir snickered. "Wow, I feel sorry for them if that's the case."

"Ymir!" Christa flicked the girl's freckled nose, earning a scowl. "I may not be on Mikasa or Annie's level, but I bet I'd be able to compete with you though."

"Oh," Ymir eyed her, suddenly becoming very interested. "Is that so? Care to make good on that bet?"

Christa swallowed. Something inside shouted out to her and told her to reject Ymir's offer and drop it, but she kept it down. She wasn't prepared to back off. If she did, Ymir would never take her seriously again, she feared. "Fine."

"Perfect. Loser has to perform three orders issued by the winner." Ymir grinned as she mused, "I won't cash them in right away after I win. I'll keep them 'til they really come in handy."

"What makes you so sure you'll win?" Christa teased.

Ymir grinned but just as she was about to open her mouth, she heard Keith calling the students to attention. "Next up is Christa Renz and Mikasa Ackerman."

Christa looked at Mikasa as she stood up without a word, then looked back over at Ymir. Ymir winked at her, "Go show off Miss 'Best Runner At Her Old School'."

"You suck at naming." Christa commented as she got up and followed Mikasa, who waited on her before entering the track.

They both got into the starting position and were off at the shot of the gun. The gap between them wasn't as bad as with Armin's race, but it was still very much present. Christa worked hard not to fall behind too much, and in contrast Mikasa looked like she was barely breaking a sweat. In the end, Christa was completed about nine seconds behind Mikasa, finishing at 59.14, just barely under a minute.

When she was finished, Christa could barely stand, pushing herself to the brink to avoid having to owe Ymir for that bet. She could only imagine what Ymir would ask her to do. By the time the freckled bully was finished, she might not be able to show her face in school again. All this was on Christa's mind as she ran. Now, she was sweating puddles and could barely walk back over to her spot where Ymir awaited her with a smirk, but still Christa was satisfied with her time and fully believed she was safe.

The two awaited Ymir's name, watching the various match-ups Keith had concocted. When Connie heard his name called, he immediately launched up, already expecting victory despite the fact he was set up against Eren. It didn't matter to him that they weren't actually competing with each other and these weren't actual races. As far as he was concerned, as long as someone else was on the track with him, he had to compete with them. As such, he took his defeat three times as hard as anyone else, despite the fact that they both had very good times. In fact, it hurt him even more to realize he only lost by a little less than a second. Right after, Jean made his way to the track, paired with Marco, and was able to beat Eren's time, again by less than a second, but he still felt the need to gloat about it. It wasn't long before the two were gripping each other and rolling around in the grass exchanging blows, and it wasn't long after that that Shadis punished them both, sending Jean to be counseled by Hanji, and Eren to Levi. They both left hesitantly. Next was Reiner and Franz, and Christa found herself in a cheering competition against Hannah. Reiner finished first, but Franz and Hannah didn't seem to mind once they got lost in their own world as they usually do together.

It was obvious that the class couldn't care less about the fact that these were not actual competitions, mainly because the students themselves were all incredibly competitive in their own individual ways. Christa figured that this was what Ymir meant by 'the true nature of class 104', but she'd be lying if she said that she didn't find it fun to see everyone compete. Even Dazz tried his hardest in his run with Bertholdt, but after getting too close and eventually blacking out and landing against Bertholdt's back, was carried the rest of the way and then all the way to Hanji's office, Bertholdt not stopping for a second but getting Keith's permission first.

Finally, there were only two more people left. "Lastly, I'll have the two most troublesome students. Ymir and Sasha, get your asses here on the double."

"You didn't say that to anyone else." Ymir smirked as she stretched, preparing for her long awaited run.

"That's because I hate you.", Keith answered. Sasha was already on the track when Shadis walked up to her. "Both of you.", he growled in her face.

"What did I even do!?" Sasha sobbed aloud, Keith ignoring her as he stood on the side.

Ymir shown of arrogance as she got into the start position. She looked over at Sasha with a smirk. "Try not to choke on my dust newbie."

"At least call me by my name." Sasha grumbled.

"My bad, try not to choke on my dust, _Potato-girl_."

Sasha launched up. Keith blew his whistle and shouted, performing both right next to her ear of course. "Braus! Back in the starting position!" She complied quickly, rubbing her ear in hopes it would stop the ringing.

Meanwhile Christa rolled her eyes from her place on the grass, already guessing by Ymir's face and Sasha's reaction what the taller girl said, and already preparing how she would tell Ymir off when she finished. _I could probably use one of those orders to finally make her apologize to Sasha_.

A touch on her shoulder brought Christa out of her thoughts and she looked slightly behind her to meet Mikasa standing there, she and Armin just returning after escorting Eren to Levi's office and getting some water. Mikasa passed her a bottle before taking a seat right next to her.

"You seemed like you were trying really hard when we were running. Sorry I didn't hold back."

"Oh no, I wasn't trying to compete with you, that would be a lost cause. You're an amazing athlete Mikasa!"

"Thank you." There was a small smile on her face. "Then why were you trying so hard if you weren't competing?"

"Well," Christa took a sip of water from the bottle Mikasa brought her, grateful for the cool liquid. "Ymir and I had a bet to see who would get a better time for-"

Mikasa's eyes widened slightly. "You made a bet with Ymir on this?"

Christa was taken aback, nodding hesitantly and wondering what kind of trouble she may have just gotten herself into.

"She took advantage of you because you're new and didn't know any better, but Ymir is actually ranked third overall in school athletics." Mikasa explained, though there was a trace of anger lacing her words, most likely directed at Ymir.

Christa couldn't believe it but sure enough, she looked back over at the track just as Ymir finished and her time was called, 52.48. Sasha finished six seconds after, something that obviously shocked Shadis.

"I thought a glutton like you wouldn't even make it to the finish, much less finish in under a minute.", his voice was surprisingly quiet.

Sasha felt flattered and took pride in the fact that she was able to impress Shadis. She hoped that now not only will his, but the other students' opinions of her, change. She tightened a triumphant fist as she responded to him. "I eat for energy!"

"Don't expect that means you can eat during my class!" Keith yelled at her. He also approached Ymir. "You also surprised me. I didn't expect you to take this seriously. That was a personal best wasn't it?"

"It was." Ymir spoke matter-of-factly. "You can say I had a bit of extra motivation this time around.", she looked over at Christa, the shorter girl now feeling a heavy lump in her throat while Mikasa gave Ymir a deadly stare. She paid the black-haired girl no mind because as far as she was concerned, this was between her and Christa.

Ymir strolled back over to Christa, the blonde looking far gone. Noticing the water bottle in Christa's hand, Ymir snatched it to quench her thirst, snapping Christa out of her self-induced trance.

Mikasa stood up, looking like she was preparing to fight Ymir, the brunette obviously not about to back down if that were the case. At the last minute though, it seemed like Mikasa changed her mind and sat back down, maybe deciding it wasn't worth it. Ymir huffed, but sat down as well. The two sat on either side of her and the tenseness they now created was a bit suffocating for Christa.

Christa clapped her hands together, coming up with an idea to break the intense silence. "Wow Ymir, you really didn't seem like the athletic type. That was surprising." Her voice was obviously forced and it was far from convincing as a casual conversation starter, but the other two girls didn't seem to care. In fact, they both jumped on the topic.

"When she's always skipping physical ed., of course she would 'appear' to be a slacker." Mikasa spoke nonchalantly, irking Ymir with her sarcastic emphasis on 'appear'.

"We don't all get a kick out of showing off every second we can, overdoing everything." Ymir taunted, knowing exactly how to push Mikasa's buttons. "Maybe you should be like Annie and conserve some energy for once. Maybe then, you won't bore us to tears. And _maybe_, Eren might look at you as something other than a monster."

Christa could see the anger absolutely boiling up in Mikasa. Almost too quick for anyone to respond, Mikasa stood and cocked her arm back, fully intending to knock Ymir out. Thankfully, Annie had been passing at the time and stopped Mikasa's fist by grabbing the girl's arm. When Mikasa locked eyes with her, Annie shook her head, then let Mikasa's arm go. The black haired girl was still angry though, and it wasn't until she looked at Christa's face that she calmed down. Well, calmed down enough to abandon the idea of throttling Ymir right now. Instead, she puffed out a gust of wind and left, the bell sounding not too far after.

Keith cursed under his breath. "Tell ya what, all those interested in field events can meet me after school sometime this week. I'll have the official list of events in time for lunch registration. Until then, dismissed!"

When Ymir got up, Annie stopped her. "You should stop picking fights. I'm tired of breaking them up."

"Then stay out of it next time." Ymir spat. Her face screwed when Christa pinched her arm as hard as she could muster. "Shit, that hurt!"

"Good! You'll get something worse next time you pull a stunt like that. What were you thinking?"

"What was I thinking? She started it!" Ymir twisted when the jolt from Christa's next pinch ran through her system.

Annie looked over at Christa, slightly amused at the way she disciplined Ymir. When she caught sight of the other blonde staring, Christa let go of Ymir, embarrassed at her own behaviour. "Thanks for stopping Mikasa just now, even though Ymir needs a good punch."

"Hey! I can hear you ya know!"

"Shush!" Christa hushed her, using both her hands to pinch Ymir this time. She continued to thank Annie. "If you weren't around, who knows how big that would have gotten."

Annie nodded but didn't offer any words. Instead she made her way to her next class, leaving the two to bicker for some time before realizing they had to go to their class too. Halfway into rushing, mostly on Christa's part, there was the acceptance that they were both bound to be late for their next class, history with none other than Principal Erwin Smith. He would not let them off lightly.

Or so they thought.

When they arrived to class, Principal Smith was already getting into the lesson. Anyone that has ever sat any class taught by him would know that it is a deathly mistake to miss even a small portion of his lesson because of the massive amount of notes he gives. Normally, teachers that give piles of notes in class would only test on a small bit of it, but not Erwin. Every detail he gives in class is likely to end up on a test or pop quiz. There is no such thing as useless information to him. So when Christa and Ymir arrived to his class late, he didn't bother interrupting his lesson to scold or punish them, because catching up was enough of a punishment. So, with a nod, he permitted them to take their seats.

They grabbed the last two seats in the back, Ymir taking the one by the window. It was a similar arrangement to their homeroom.

As Christa diligently took notes and attempted to understand what was being said while at the same time try to figure out what she missed, Ymir simply laid her head on the desk, groaning as she wrapped her arms around it.

"_What are you doing? You better start taking notes or you'll fail!" _Christa whispered with urgency.

"_Don't wanna."_ Ymir whispered back a simple reply. _"My arms are sore."_

"_Who's fault is that?"_

"_I certainly didn't pinch my own arms!" _Ymir hissed.

"If you two don't mind please." Erwin caught Christa's attention.

"S-Sorry sir!" Christa apologized and returned her attention to her notebook, but not without noticing as Ymir turned to look out the window.

Just when Ymir was about to drift off into her own thoughts, she felt something hit the back of her head. She looked over at Christa with a scowl but the girl pointed to Ymir's desk, where a balled up piece of paper laid. Ymir looked at Christa questionably as she took the wad in her hand, but Christa just continued to record notes.

Curiously Ymir opened the paper to read the scribbled message from her neighbor.

_I'll lend you my notes after class. You better study them._

Below the message was a small doodle of a smiley with it's tongue sticking out, _"Badly drawn and misshapen." _Ymir noted with a small laugh to herself. She looked over at Christa again who seemed to watch her read the message and who also smiled then looked away when their eyes met.

Ymir returned her gaze to the window, but for some reason she couldn't stop smiling and she couldn't think straight, and she wasn't even sure why!

**~oOo~**

**Author's Note: **_I don't know if it was the athletics or what, but I enjoyed writing this chapter a little more than usual. Probably cuz it got so fluffy :3 Don't forget to leave your comments, I really like hearing from you guys :) Next week, I go back to school to learn and junk -.-' I'll still be updating though!_


	9. Chapter 9

"I can't believe you forgot." Ymir growled as she violently bit off a chunk from a loaf of bread.

"It just... slipped my mind." Christa admitted sheepishly.

The two were taking a rare walk alone this lunch. Christa's usual eating group were all busy elsewhere at the time, not that Christa minded though. Ymir on the other hand...

"I know what I'll do." Ymir suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, a dangerous glint in her eyes as she turned to look at Christa. "I'll use one of those orders to make you embarrass yourself in front of the whole school!" Ymir ended with a grossly exaggerated evil laugh.

"Ymir no!" Christa shoved Ymir with a pout. "I forget one time and you make such a big deal out of it."

"You specifically said 'everyday'. You offered to make me lunch _everyday_ in exchange for my number, which I gave you regardless of the fact that I ignore your texts and calls. Who's fault is it that you can't hold your end of the deal _you _came up with?" Ymir narrowed her eyes, turning on her heels and walking away.

Christa had to quicken her step to keep up with Ymir. "I don't have lunch either, so it's not like I remembered mine and only forgot yours.", the blonde reasoned despite the fact it was obvious Ymir didn't care. "Why don't you just buy something from the cafeteria?"

"Take a bite from the slop bucket? No way in hell! I don't eat shit and that's all they're serving!"

"Then eat your bread and stop complaining." Christa huffed with a bit of playfulness evident in her voice.

The two continued to Ymir's new usual eating spot, the roof. It wasn't quite as scenic as Hanji's off-limits research area, but at least there wasn't the threat of feral dogs up there, and Ymir didn't have to compromise privacy... usually. Christa wasn't going to give her that option today. Ymir wouldn't have minded so much if the innocent little blonde had come swinging bentos filled with goodies, but she had no such luck. It was no wonder that the brunette seemed extra ornery today.

Although she tried not to show it, Christa was incredibly nervous. Just yesterday, she lost a bet with Ymir and now she has to obey three orders as issued by the brunette. Just the thought of it made her tremble. The freckled bully already made sport of teasing her and Ymir has already shown that she's not too big on mercy. The blonde could already see her future at this school plummeting, especially with the mood Ymir was in today.

Christa watched the tall girl's back as she forced the rusted doors to the roof open. Shoving her hands into her pockets, Ymir grumbled as she walked onto the concrete of the roof, finished with the bread and having already discarded the wrapper onto the floor. Of course, Christa picked up the wrapper and stashed it in her bag to throw away later when she was near a bin, and of course she scolded Ymir for carelessly dropping it in the first place.

Ymir walked near to the center of the square-shaped area before laying flat on the floor, sprawled like a lazy cat in the summer heat, staring blankly into the sky.

Christa couldn't suppress her giggle. "Is this how you spend your lunchtimes?"

"No, I'm usually eating." Ymir replied flatly, totally unimpressed.

Christa rolled her eyes and decided to sit next to the girl. "You make it sound like you ate lunch everyday even before our deal."

"What can I say?" Ymir breathed as she sat up, her hand lazily resting on her knee. "I got used to delicious home cooked meals hand delivered by a little angel." Ymir winked with a mischievous grin.

Christa's face was completely blushed over and she stumbled on every incomprehensible word she tried to form. Eventually she was able to register her thoughts well enough to cover her face in embarrassment as she cried out, "What are you saying all of a sudden!?"

Ymir burst out laughing, only adding to Christa's embarrassment. She threw an arm around the blonde girl's neck. "You get embarrassed so easily! You look like a tomato right now!" Christa launched up out of Ymir's hold, pouting heavily with teared up eyes now that her face was back to normal color. Despite the look the little blonde was giving her, Ymir was still holding her stomach in gut-busting laughter. "Just marry me already!" And just like that, Christa's face glowed up again, and Ymir's laughter doubled over, if that was possible.

"Enough already!" Christa knelt back down and grabbed Ymir's shoulder, looking intently into Ymir's eyes.

Immediately, the tall girl's roaring laughter ceased as the blonde closed into her personal space. Their faces barely inches apart, Christa's stare caused Ymir's stomach to knot up. "W-What already?" Ymir growled anxiously.

Suddenly Christa sucked in some air, and it made Ymir swallow a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

What followed was an echoing thud. Ymir reeled back, falling back onto the hard surface beneath her, holding her forehead and squirming in pain. "A fucking headbutt!? Seriously!?" When she could finally wince her eyes open, all she could see was the smug look of victory on Christa's face. "What are you, a kid?" Ymir spoke between clenched teeth.

"You're one to talk! You deserved it you jerk!"

Christa rummaged through her bag, while Ymir brought herself back up to sitting position, watching over her with semi-curiosity and semi-anger, still holding her hand over the wounded area. Suddenly Christa's expression changed as she pulled what looked like a small cheap bag of-

"Potato chips?" Ymir scanned over the object with slight distaste. "You remember potato chips but you don't remember my lunch?"

"You're back on that again?" Christa sighed but immediately perked up again at the sight of this little treasure. "I just remembered that I started keeping extra snacks in my bag for Sasha just in case she got too hungry to do anything again!" She clapped her hands together happily. Truth was that even though she wasn't complaining half as much as Ymir, she was still hungry, and Ymir's whining was only making it worse.

Just as she salvaged it from her bag, the treasured potato chips bag was snatched from her, Ymir's only explanation being, "Retribution through confiscation." She ripped open the top and munched on a chip she pulled from it. "I hate this flavor." she grumbled as she reached in the bag for another.

"Then give it back!" Christa attempted to snatch the bag back but to no avail. With each attempt to grab it, Ymir would only move it out of the way. "The least you could do is share!"

"Here then." Ymir flicked a few of the chips at Christa's face and laughed. "Eat up."

Christa huffed and threw the snacks back. "I can't believe you'd waste food after complaining all that time about being hung-"

Christa was silenced by a fistful of chips. Ymir laughed when the girl struggled to chew up everything rather than spit it out, subsequently choking slightly when trying to swallow it all. "If you can't stuff it then I'll stuff it for ya!" the brunette mused.

~oOo~

After about ten more minutes of chip-involved antics, the bell sounded, forcing Christa and Ymir to cut the fun short and make their way to homeroom.

By the time the duo arrived, the rest of the class was already seated and chatting amongst themselves. They barely made it to their seats before Shadis arrived, his usual briefcase in hand. Immediately after taking the register and shrugging off today's comments from Ymir, he pulled out another sheet of paper.

"Now down to the real business of the day. I finally got my hands on the revised list of events straight from Principal Smith's office. This year, Principal Smith has incorporated some new events into the athletics festival for the weak pansies that can't handle the pressure of raw competition. However, I do not expect that this will be a problem for this class, because if you fail to bring a victory I will make the rest of this year a living hell for all of you." Keith paused his tirade for a moment to take in the chorus of groans that meant they knew he was serious. "For that reason, two sheets of paper will be passed around: One with the list of events, and the second will be where you write your name and the events you wish to participate in. Two students plus a substitute will be assigned to each event under my discretion. Please do not put down an event you know you cannot handle because I will personally shame you." He directed a look to Eren and then to Armin and Dazz and then continued to speak. "While the school does not require it, it is in your best interest to participate."

The students thought it a miracle for Shadis to complete his entire speech without being interrupted by the bell. The sheets were passed around and everyone eagerly signed up for the events of their choosing. As he mentioned, there were a wide range of non-athletic events from the scavenger hunt race, to a trivia, to (Sasha's favorite) an eating contest or two. Multiple events that would span over a one week period, dedicated to competition. When the list finally made its way to Christa's desk, she didn't know what she would choose. For sure, she wanted to participate, she just wasn't sure in what. Eventually, after a bit of mental deliberation, she decided on the scavenger hunt race.

Just when the blonde was about to check who else opted for that event, she heard a hiss from Ymir who was tapping her pencil impatiently on her desk, obviously tired of waiting. So, Christa handed it over. After a bit of lazy scribbling, Ymir walked up to the front of the class to deliver the papers back to Shadis. With a nod from Keith, she returned to her seat and leaned the chair on its hind legs.

_I wonder what she signed up for. _Christa watched Ymir curiously as if some hint would show itself.

The bell rang. After Keith gave the okay, students filed out of the classroom. Last class for the day would be Hanji's Biology class. Just as Christa walked out the classroom, she was ambushed by Connie and Sasha.

"What did you sign up for!?" Connie asked her excitedly. "I can't believe they're having a free-throw shoot-out, I had to sign up for it! It was like calling out to me!"

The three chatted happily, Ymir slugging not so far behind them, not that anyone besides Christa seemed to notice though.

"Sasha only signed up for the eating events." Connie accused with a pointed finger.

"There's nothing wrong with that, I'm stickin' to what I'm good at." Sasha defended herself with furrowed brows.

"More like being lazy." Connie stuck his tongue out.

Christa laughed at her friends' antics. Although she wasn't able to get a word in between Connie and Sasha's bickering, they were enjoyable company and she loved having them around.

"By the way, what events are Ymir doing?" Connie asked out of the blue.

Christa was caught off guard slightly. "Umm, well I haven't asked her yet."

Connie folded his arms in front of his chest and hummed. "She pisses me off, but she's a surprisingly good athlete. I wouldn't mind running against her." He thought about it and grinned. "I bet I'd whoop her ass good!", he laughed though the other two began feeling uncomfortable.

"That's some ballsy talk for a bald pipsqueak." Ymir sneered, making her presence known.

"I'm not bald, I'm shaved!" Connie defended quickly. He stepped toward her. "And who you calling pipsqueak Miss Tall, Dark, and Ugly!"

"Come on guys this is pointless. Let's just get to our various classes peacefully before we're late." Christa tried to reason with them, but it seemed they weren't hearing her.

Ymir stepped forward too, pushing Christa to the side slightly and staring Connie down. "This joker's pickin' a fight with the wrong person."

"You of all people shouldn't be callin' anyone joker!"

Ymir grabbed Connie by his collar and hoisted him into the air, his feet dangling as he struggled to get her to release her grip. Ymir, didn't let up though.

"Ymir, that's too much, let him go!" Christa started tugging at her arms, but again Ymir didn't loosen her grip for a second.

"Come on, that's not funny Ymir. Ease up." Sasha tried to help Christa. They managed to shake Ymir slightly, but it wasn't enough to make her let Connie go.

Suddenly from behind them, they heard two claps. "Come on, break it up, break it up you two." Hanji approached the group with her usual cheerful expression. "Ymir, if you're late to my class you can kiss my lab goodbye."

Ymir clicked her tongue and released the short boy with a hint of hesitation. Connie coughed as he hit the floor. It took him some time to gather himself and stand to his feet, his face screwed with anger as he attempted to stop the tears (and mucus) trying to run down his face. Wiping his sleeve across his face he stomped off toward his class, Sasha scrambling behind him.

Christa watched her friends leave, and immediately turned to tell Ymir off, but the girl already left; though Hanji had still been there, watching Christa with an awkward expression.

"Time for class Christa, don't wanna be late now do you?" Christa opened her mouth but was immediately hushed by Hanji. "We can deal with this matter later. Now scoot!"

Hanji ushered Christa into the biology room where the majority of the class was already sat, Ymir looking extra irritated right now. She was definitely giving off a 'Talk to me and I'll pull out your tongue' kind of vibe.

The class was awkward. Although Hanji taught the lesson as passionately as always, and although the students tried their hardest to keep up as usual, Christa still felt... awkward. She wasn't sure whether or not she was mad at Ymir or not, but right now, sitting in class, she couldn't help but stare a few desks over at the brunette, gazing out the window.

Ymir was always doing that. Staring out the window, at nothing in particular, thinking of who knows what. Every so often, Christa could swear she would see a momentary smile that would easily be wiped off in less than a second since showing. But not this time, today was her angry death gaze, usually accompanied by jaw clenching and the occasional apparent grinding of teeth. This was especially common after an argument with Reiner, who has been backing off recently as Christa suggested.

Christa didn't even realize when she escaped reality in favor of her thoughts. 'What Ymir could possibly be thinking?', 'What really made her mad enough to grip Connie like that, because it couldn't be as simple as the name calling.', these were the sorts of questions Christa had floating around in her head. Before long, her staring became painfully noticeable, but Ymir ignored the open observation although her brow twitched from time to time out of frustration. Hanji took notice as well.

"Eyes forward Christa, I'm just getting to the best part!" Hanji near panted in excitement.

When Christa turned back to her notes, slightly embarrassed after being caught, Ymir let out a visible sigh, her face suddenly losing some of the tenseness.

Immediately after leaving class, Christa caught up to Ymir but before she could even think to say a word, Ymir stopped the blonde in her tracks with her own set of words.

"Let's just skip the whole, 'Ymir you know you're wrong' speech because you and I both know I don't listen to that shit anyway, and just go straight to whatever stupid plan you came up with." Ymir folded her arms in front of her chest and narrowed her eyes.

Christa looked at her blankly, obviously confused. "What are you talking about Ymir?"

"Every time things get awkward or I get mad, you always come up with some way where I can't avoid you. But this time I'm ahead of you." Ymir leaned to look Christa dead in her eye, the shorter girl squirming slightly at the sudden closeness. "From now on, after school, I'll be training you for the events you're signed up for."

Christa looked at her questionably, obviously clueless. "You mean the athletics festival? I only signed up for the scavenger hunt."

Ymir smirked devilishly. "Yea, but _I_ signed you up for the 800m and the 4x400m relay."

"Ymir! Why!?", the blonde looked devastated just thinking about all she'd have to do now.

The girl laughed as she stood to her full height with a shrug. "One, I thought it'd be funny, _which it is_! Two, you promised to entertain me if I agree to come with you to the athletics festival, and watching you do a simple scavenger won't be entertaining enough, I want to see you suffer a bit." She grinned on that last note, catching a predictable jab from the shorter girl before it had time to connect. "Finally, third, and most importantly, because I _order _you."

Her smirk grew wide when she saw the slight grimace on Christa's face. Christa knew she wouldn't be happy when those orders reared their ugly heads one by one, and this was just a brutal reminder of that. She submitted in defeat. "Fine." She stopped to think for awhile. "But it can't be this afternoon, I'll have to run it by Reiner those first." The last part sort of slipped out.

"Reiner?" Ymir rubbed her chin, Christa immediately regretting letting those words slip out like that. "I've been meaning to ask this for a while now, but what's the relationship between you and Reiner anyway? Siblings? Cousins-"

Christa ran past Ymir with a ball of speed toward the school exit. They had gotten to the courtyard without realizing it. Without offering even the smallest clue, or the tiniest goodbye, Christa hightailed it, leaving Ymir more curious than ever.

~oOo~

"Absolutely not!" Reiner fumed. "It's one thing if you hang out with her during school, but after school too!?"

Christa sighed from her seat in the living room. "Reiner we talked about this.", she reminded him.

"I know, I know." Reiner cooled down after taking a few breaths. "It was just the shock. It's a bit difficult for me to swallow this." He took a seat near Christa, but in a different chair. "I don't know what you see in her Christa, but I don't trust her, especially not if someone else won't be around."

_"Why do you hate her so much anyway?"_ Christa spoke barely above a whisper, more trying to figure out her own possible answers rather than asking Reiner directly.

"I don't hate her." Christa almost sprang from her seat, shocked that Reiner heard her and even more surprised by his answer. His voice was steady, almost solemn. "I don't hate her. I just _really_ don't trust her. Especially not with you."

"Why-"

"I have my reasons." Reiner dismissed the topic and rose from his seat. There was suddenly a strange air around Reiner, one that didn't quite suit his normally cheerful and passionate self. But, Christa was wise enough not to question it of course. "I'm going to bed."

"Wait, you didn't even have dinner yet."

"I'm not hungry.", he mumbled as he slid out of the living room.

In seconds, Christa could hear the heavy wood of Reiner's door creak close, and she knew that was the definite end of this discussion. She was a bit upset that she never got a straight 'okay' from Reiner, but she understood that right now it wouldn't be good to bother him. It's not that she was looking for permission anyway, it was just that she didn't want a repeat of last time. If she had known it would get him this upset, she wouldn't have brought it up like that. At least now, Christa felt like she understood how sore of a topic it was for Reiner, even if she didn't know why.

**~oOo~**

**Author's Note: **_Hey, sorry I didn't post last week, lots of things came up and well... Anyway, what is done is done. I won't be able to post on a steady schedule anymore, so as of now, My Secret To Keep has no set release day. I'll try my best to post at least once a week (no guarantee though), as often as possible. Thankfully, I finally planned this out from beginning to end, so I hopefully I won't get too off target. Anywho, enough of my rambling, I hope you guys will continue to support the story :)_


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